The Cat's Collar
by solongmyfriends
Summary: Shizuka isn't normal. When the cursed Sohma males hug her, they don't turn. Akito sends her to Shigure's house for reasons unknown to everyone. Can Kyo prevail over the latest plan from the head of the household? KyoXOC ShigureXAkito and a death. Language
1. Shizuka

**Chapter One**

"Are you sure about this?"

"I am." Akito leaned against the window and stared out over the grounds. "She will go to live with you immediately."

Shigure bowed. He didn't want to contradict the head of the house, but he was in a bit of a confused daze. "I don't understand," he said, "why you want this?"

Akito turned, eyes narrowing. "And why should I tell you what my plans are?"

"Forgive me, Akito. I didn't mean to—"

"She doesn't know about the curse."

Shigure looked up in surprise. A complete stranger living in his house? A female one at that. And one who doesn't even know about the curse? Tohru was one thing, but this? _Perhaps Akito is finally losing it mentally,_ Shigure thought.

"I see the look in your eyes, Shigure." Akito gave a tiny, mysterious smile. "You won't have to worry about her. If she hugs you… you won't turn."

Shigure gave a tiny gasp. "Akito--! What?"

"Hatsuharu ran into her yesterday…" Akito turned back to the window. "He ran into her quite literally, and he didn't turn. Being a bit stubborn, he tried hugging her and when nothing happened… he brought her here. To Hatori. He examined her…"

"Why is it Hatsuharu didn't turn?" Shigure asked.

"Not just him. Hatori tried after discovering what he thought was the reason." Akito's eyes flashed. "She isn't quite human."

Shigure looked down at the floor. "What is she?"

"That," Akito snapped, "is none of your business. What _is_ your business is that she will be moving in with you. This is part of my new plan, since the Honda girl and Yuki…" Akito trailed off and glowered out at the grounds. "I want to see how this girl and the Cat get along. Do you understand me? I want reports about every meeting they have. You don't have to bring them to me daily, once a week will suit me just fine."

"Of course, Akito. I still don't understand…"

"She is their age, but she won't be attending the school." Akito watched as a bird landed on his outstretched hand. "She's a runaway and refuses to tell her family name. We've made an agreement with her. She's to become your assistant and we'll hide her from her family."

_Assisting a girl in hiding from her family?_ Shigure thought, but didn't say anything.

"You may fetch her from Hatori's when you leave." The bird flew off and Akito slumped down. "Remember: the Cat. This is important."

"I'm not sure if I have enough room for another guest, Akito…"

Akito sighed heavily. "I thought as much. You will build an additional room. Two, if you want. I know when the Cat moved in you had your library and your room combined…"

Shigure bowed again. "If this is what you want—"

"Go."

Shigure turned and left Akito's room, his head whirling in confusion. _He's definitely lost it!_

Her name was Shizuka and she was a cute girl. She kept most her hair hidden in a black scarf that was wrapped tightly around her head, but her black M-shaped bangs hung down in her sparkling green eyes. She had a slender frame encased in a white tank top and loose-fitting black pants. And for some reason, despite her clothes, she wore a small obi tied low on her back.

"Thank you again, Sohma-san!" Shizuka said for the umpteenth time as they walked along the road towards Shigure's house. "I am very excited to meet you. I haven't read any of your books but I will, Sohma-kun… I'm very eager to please. I'll be the best assistant you've ever had."

Shigure laughed. "You'll be the only assistant I've ever had (eager to please, hmm?)! You can sleep in my room until we get your room built."

"Oh, I'll sleep on the couch Sohma-san!" Shizuka said, bowing as she walked. "I wouldn't want to kick you out of your room, Sohma-san!"

"I don't mind one bit." Shigure gave a smile. _She does seem very eager to please. I wonder why she was running away? Tohru-chan is going to enjoy this. She'll think it will be great fun to get to know Shizuka-san_  
They arrived in front of Shigure's house. "The others are still at school," Shigure said, opening the door and taking off his shoes. "My cousins Yuki and Kyo, and there's Tohru Honda-chan. She's our housemaid and Yuki's girlfriend. She's a very sweet girl."

Shizuka bowed at the entrance of the house and removed her shoes. "I hope I'm not a bother, Sohma-san."

"There's no need for my family name here," Shigure said. "I moved here to get _away_ from my family (and for some quiet which is impossible when Yuki and Kyo are here)."

Shizuka stood up and bowed again. "My apologies, Shigure-san."

"Let me give you a tour of the house…"

Shigure showed her around and every time they saw a new room, Shizuka would bow and say it-looks-very-nice-Shigure-san.

After he finished, Shigure decided where to put the new rooms. He'd put them on top of the other. His library on the bottom, Shizuka's room on the second floor. He'd have to start working on them right away. Who could he get to help? Kyo might, if he was in a good mood. And he was strong. Shigure didn't want to bother Yuki with working on building, because he didn't want his delicate cousin to get weak in the outside air. Hatsuharu? Ayame?

Shigure chuckled to himself, imagining Ayame trying to help build a room. _That would be a disaster! An amusing disaster, but a disaster nonetheless. Hatsuharu _He thought, watching Shizuka out of the corner of his eye _He'd be a big help. I can get Yuki to convince him to help._

"You can put your things in my room," Shigure said.

"Oh no, Soh—Shigure-san!" Shizuka bowed deeply. "I don't mind sleeping on the couch."

"I don't want to feel like a heel," he said with a laugh. He pulled Shizuka up and found himself staring down into her face. He was never this close to a girl, except for Tohru and she didn't count since she was with Yuki.

On a whim, he wrapped his arms tightly around her slender body. Shizuka gave a little gasp and stiffened. Shigure just held her, staring down at the floor. He had never held a girl before, not like this. His cousins didn't count.

"Shi…gu…re…san?" Shizuka squeaked out.

Shigure let go and gave her a smile. "Sorry, Shizuka-san!" He said, putting his hands on his hips. "I just couldn't help myself!"

"That's because you're a pervert."

They turned and saw Hatori standing in the doorway, holding a bag out. Shizuka bowed and took it. "I knew I forgot something…"

Hatori turned his gaze to Shigure and gave him _a look_. "You must excuse my cousin," he said, still staring at Shigure. "He's a bit of a dolt."

"It's true!" Shigure said with a laugh.

"If he does anything to make you uncomfortable, just hit him." Hatori looked back at Shizuka. His face was completely unreadable, even to Shigure who usually could tell what his serious cousin was thinking. "If you have any problems here, Shizuka-san, call me." He handed her a piece of paper with his number written down.

Shigure giggled. "Giving your number out to girls now, Ha'ri-sama?"

"_Don't_ call me that," Hatori warned. "I just want to make sure Shizuka-san is comfortable here. If you need anything, feel free to call me."

Shizuka bowed. "Thank you, Sohma-san. I appreciate all your family is doing for me."

Hatori frowned slightly. "I wouldn't," he whispered and turned to leave. He ran smack into someone who had been hidden behind him all this time.

"HA'RI-SAMA!" Ayame giggled out. "I saw everything! I agree with Shii! Giving your phone num—"

Hatori shoved him roughly aside. "What are you doing here, Ayame?"

Ayame bounced over to Shigure. "I was at the house and heard about this young lady! I knew I _had_ to meet her!" He turned to Shizuka and without warning, hugged her. Shizuka gave a surprised squeak.

"Ayame, don't bother her," Hatori said darkly. "You're scaring her."

"Mm, it's _true_!" Ayame said, his arms still around her. "This could come in handy!"

"Aayaaaaaa!" Shigure whined. "Ha'ri is right, you're scaring her. Stop it."

Ayame let go, his eyes glittering. "You know, Shii, I really should visit more often."

Shizuka took a nervous step away from Ayame, eyes darting between him and Shigure. Shigure flicked some bangs away from his face. "Aaya," he said huffily. "I'd feel hurt if you were visiting just to get to know Shizuka-san and not me. You mustn't come unless you're really visiting to see _me_!"

"And Yuki!" Ayame said, spreading his slender arms out. "I really should come visit my baby brother more often. How else will I get to know him and repair the damaged bridge of love I ruined so many years ago?"

"Stop being so melodramatic," Hatori said.

"I'm the writer, not you." Shigure folded his arms and mentally put away the phrase in his head. "Now promise me you'll leave poor Shizuka-san alone."

Ayame folded his own arms and pouted. "Fine, I promise. But I _will_ visit more often. I do so miss my Shii-sama!"

"And I miss my Aaya-sama!" The two clutched hands, bouncing up and down happily.

Hatori sighed and turned to Shizuka. "_Please_ call me if—if… well, just _call_ me."

Shizuka bowed. "Thank you, Sohma-san."

Hatori left, shutting the door a bit loudly as he did so. As he walked down the path, he saw the three others coming towards him. Yuki was the first one to notice and a look passed over his face.

"It's not time for my checkup, is it?" He asked.

Tohru and Kyo looked over and stopped walking. Hatori continued, getting closer to them. "No," he said. "You have another guest." He stopped directly beside him. "A young girl."

"_What_?" Kyo snarled out. "_Why_?"

Hatori's eyes narrowed. "If you want to know the reason, discuss it with Akito and not me. He's the only one who knows why he does what he does."

"Aki…to?" Yuki asked, voice wavering.

Hatori stuffed his hands in his pockets. "And you don't have to worry about running into her. We don't turn if we hug."

"But… how?" Yuki asked.

Hatori shrugged. "I can't tell you and it's not important anyway. She's going to be Shigure's assistant." He turned and started walking again. After a few steps he paused and looked over his shoulder. "And Yuki?"

"Yes?"

"Ayame's at the house." Hatori glanced down the path and continued on. "Just thought I'd warn you."

**Author's Note:**

I don't own any of the Fruits Basket characters or places. Shizuka, I do own. She's based on a RPG character I made and I thought it'd be fun to put her in this alternate FB world.


	2. Yuki's Confusion

**Chapter Two**

"_Let go of me_!"

"I've been so terrible, not even visiting as much as I should!"

"_Let go of me_!"

Ayame blatantly ignored his brother, keeping his arms around his head. "I've missed you so, Yuki!"

Yuki squirmed. "This isn't helping how I feel about you, Ayame! Let _go_!"

The grey-haired man finally released Yuki and grinned at Tohru. "And my favorite young lady! Tohru-chan, it _is_ good to see you again."

Tohru smiled. "It's good to see you—"

"_No it's not_!" Yuki growled, tugging Tohru into the other room. "Just ignore the idiot by the door."

"Kyo-kun!" Ayame said loudly. "Did you hear that? He called you an idiot."

Kyo brushed past Ayame. "Who is she?" He demanded. "Where—" He stopped and stared into the other room.

Shizuka bowed deeply at the three teenagers. "It's an honor meeting you," she said sweetly. "I hope I'm not too much of a bother."

"No bother at all!" Shigure sauntered into the front hall. "Aaya you really should be going back to your shop before everyone misses you."

"I promise I'll come visit soon, Shii-sama!"

"Aaya-sama!"

They hugged each other tightly before Ayame swept out of the house. Shigure went back into the other room and saw Tohru introducing herself to Shizuka. _I knew she'd like her,_ Shigure thought with a smile.

"Kyo-Kyo!" Shigure said. ("DON'T CALL ME KYO-KYO") "What do you think of our pretty new housemate?"

Kyo curled his hand into a fist. "I think she better leave me the hell alone!" He turned and stormed up the stairs. They heard his door slam shut and Shigure gave a loud sigh.

"It comes as a surprise to have another guest," Yuki said. "Where will she be staying?"

"In my room ("On the couch, Sohma-san") until we can build Shizuka-chan her own room!" Shigure turned and dropped an arm over Shizuka's shoulders.

"Please…" Shizuka whispered, her eyes on the floor and her hands clasped together in a delightfully innocent look. "I don't want to force anyone out of their room!"

"Perhaps Kyo can sleep on the roof," Yuki said with an amused smirk. "He seems to spend most of his time there anyway."

"I don't mind sharing!" Tohru said brightly. "You could share with me, Shizuka-chan, or you could have my room and I could ("You could share with Yuki.") sleep on the co—" Tohru stopped, her face going red. She began flapping her arms. "I WAS GOING TO SAY THE COUCH, SHIGURE-SAN! THE COUCH!"

Shigure laughed and only stopped when Yuki hit him with his schoolbag. "Stop being such a pervert, Shigure."

"I can't help myself, it's so easy!(and I wish you'd stop carrying so many dictionaries in that bag, it _hurts_!)"

"Only what you deserve." Yuki turned and smiled at Shizuka. "And you shouldn't mind Kyo. He hates everyone."  
Shizuka jumped. She had obviously been a bit worried about that and when Yuki finished, she bowed and thanked him. _She sure is striving to be so polite and nice,_ Shigure thought. _I wonder why she bows so much. This could get more annoying than Tohru!_

"Is there anything in particular you'd like for dinner, Shizuka-chan?" Tohru asked. "Anything you'd like, I'd be happy to fix it."

Shizuka bowed again (a sweat drop appeared on Shigure's head at that) and looked up at Tohru. "I'll eat anything, Tohru-chan. You don't have to fix anything special for me."

"I don't mind," Tohru promised. "What's your favorite food?"

Shizuka blushed slightly. "Well, if you must know—I do so love fish!"

A sweat drop now appeared on Yuki's head and Tohru merely smiled. "I can make some fish. Any specific kind?"

"Oh no, Tohru-chan, anything is fine!"

Tohru turned and hurried into the kitchen. Yuki shouldered his bag and went up to his room. Shigure picked up Shizuka's bags and said he'd take them to his room.

"No-no!" Shizuka gasped out, following him. "I can sleep on the couch!"

"For the millionth time, no!" Shigure said, dropping the bags onto his bed. "You're a delicate young flower and I'm a sturdy old man. I can sleep on the couch."

He shut the door behind him, not letting her protest again. _I hope she's not like this all the time,_ he thought as he made his way downstairs. _It could get extremely annoying._

_0-0-0-0-0_

"Why are we having fish for dinner?" Kyo asked, looking shocked at the feast spread out on the table.

"It's not for you," Yuki said, picking up his chopsticks. "It's for our new houseguest."

Shizuka knelt down and picked up the set of chopsticks by her plate. "This look delicious, Tohru-chan…"

"Shizuka-chan told me she liked fish the best," Tohru said. "So I made fish."

Kyo looked at Shizuka in surprise. But then he glared down at his plate and stabbed a piece of fish with one chopstick. "It's nice to know there's at least someone else in this world with a sensible palate."

"Why Kyo-Kyo!" Shigure said in surprise. "I didn't know you knew such words!"

"_DON'T CALL ME THAT_!" A bowl of rice hit Shigure's face and dropped to the floor. Shigure just laughed, picking the grains from his face.

Shizuka looked worried. "I hope I'm not being a bother…"

"You're not," Shigure said, finishing cleaning his face off. "Kyo's just a brat."

Kyo growled and stabbed another piece of fish, angrily stuffing it into his mouth. "And you're a pervert."

"Don't talk with your mouth full, Kyo. It's not polite."

"Stop telling me what to do, damn it!"

"And do try to watch your language!" Shigure protested. "We have an innocent maiden in our presence, though that's never seemed to stop you from acting up before."

"I'll act however I damn well _want_ to act!" Kyo stood up and stormed out of the room. The front door slammed shut and Shigure sighed.

"He's on the roof again."

Shizuka looked up in wonder. "I hope he doesn't stay up there for long," she said. "It's going to storm soon."

Everyone looked out the windows and saw a clear blue sky. They glanced at each other and shrugged.

0-0-0-0-0-0

It started storming half an hour later. Kyo came into the house, soaking wet and looking completely miserable. Shigure burst into laughter at the sight of his bedraggled cousin and fell over, kicking his legs wildly.

"Shut up…" Kyo said half-heartedly. He wiped some water from his face and trudged up the stairs. He made it to the part of the hallway in front of his room before curling into a little ball and falling sound asleep.

Shizuka tripped over him when she left Shigure's room to go to the toilet. She landed with a _whack_ on the floor and let out a whimper.

"Are you all right, Sohma-kun?" She asked, spotting Kyo. Kyo let out a loud snore as an answer. "Er…"

Yuki poked his head out of his room. "He always gets like this when it rains," he said, coming out of his room and opening Kyo's door. He kicked the redhead until he was inside his own room. Yuki shut the door and gazed at Shizuka.

Usually he liked to have everyone like him. He would do anything for people to like him. But not her. For some reason, he was getting goose bumps all over his body as she stared at him with wide eyes. He was getting a feeling of dislike. His stomach churned and something in his mind told him to stay away from her.

"I will warn you," he struggled to say. "This house can be a bit odd."

"Surely not as odd as where I used to be, Sohma-kun!" Shizuka said, bowing.

A feeling of ice swept through Yuki's body and he wanted to hurt her. He wanted to grab her and fling her out the window. His entire body trembled as he fought against these strange feelings.

"You may call me Yuki," he managed to say calmly. "I don't like being associated with my family."

Shizuka looked up and when her eyes met his, his entire body went stiff with hatred. "I didn't mean to offend you, Yuki-kun."

"No offense was taken," he managed to say through gritted teeth. "I hope you are comfortable here. I must go do homework." He hurried past her and shut the door to his room, breathing hard. _Why am I feeling this way?_ He wondered, going to his bed and sitting down on it. _Why do I have such hatred for someone I don't even know?_

**Author's Note:**

I never had a solid ending planned for this story but last night I thought of a great ending. But it's a bit violent so I changed the rating from T to M, just because I'm not positive which one to put it in so I leaned on the safe side to up the rating. Also there's not just romance and comedy in this, there's gonna be a lot of drama later. But the two main themes of this are romance and humor. Please review, so I know to update my story soon!


	3. The Chinese Zodiac & Shigure's Art

**Chapter Three**

It was still raining when everyone woke up in the morning. Tohru made a delicious breakfast and said something about waking Kyo up.

"He can miss a day of school," Shigure said, nose buried in the morning paper. "It doesn't look like this rain is going to let up anytime soon."

Tohru looked over at her boyfriend. Yuki was being strangely silent, and had a look of determination on his face. He would pick up a piece of food and study it for some time before slipping it into his mouth.

"Yuki," Tohru said. "Are you all right?"

He looked up and smiled, eyes shining. "Of course I am, Tohru. We'd best get our things and head to school." He set his chopsticks down and stood up.

Tohru boxed up some breakfast and put it in the fridge. "That's for Kyo," she said. "Whenever he wakes up."

"You're so thoughtful, Tohru-chan!" Shigure said without looking away from the paper. "Always a bright, cheery addition to this drafty house. Now we have two flowers growing in this place. Things are surely going to be brighter and brighter as the days—" He stopped and looked over the paper. Tohru and Yuki were gone. "How rude," he said to Shizuka.

Shizuka smiled at him. "You have a way with words, Shigure-san," she said. "No wonder you make such an excellent writer."

"Ah!" Shigure rubbed his chin, getting a thoughtful look on his face. "Why thank you."

They finished eating and Shigure made a few phone calls. He wanted to get the two rooms built as soon as possible, after all. The couch was very uncomfortable and he was ecstatic at the idea of getting a library again. Books were stacked everywhere in his room and it was getting difficult to maneuver.

"Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiii-san!"

Shigure didn't look up from the phone. _What the hell is he doing here today? He's never visited so often!_

"Shii-sama!" Ayame wrapped his arms tightly around Shigure's waist as the novelist tried searching for the right number to call. Ayame was too big of a distraction and both of them knew that.

"What do you need, Aaya?" Shigure hung up the receiver and looked down at his friend.

Ayame beamed up at Shigure. "I've missed you. Is Yuki around?"

"No, he's at school silly!" Shigure wriggled free from Ayame and went into the dining room. Shizuka was gathering up the dirty dishes and went into the kitchen just as Ayame came into the dining room.

"I'm surprise we didn't pass each other on the way." Ayame knelt beside Shigure. "Who were you trying to call?"

"I'm building two more rooms."

"Oh, your little family is getting bigger." Ayame sighed, tossing his long hair back. "Before you know it, half the cursed Sohmas are going to be living with you! Lucky man, having the cuties like Kyo hanging around."

Shigure clamped his hand over Ayame's mouth. "Shizuka-chan is here," he whispered. "Stop spouting out about the… _you_ know."

Ayame's eyes glittered and he pushed Shigure's hand away. "Shizuka-chan? She's here?" He perked up. "_Wonderful_! I mean what a coincidence."

"What do you mean 'coincidence'?" Shigure demanded, folding up the paper. "She lives here!"

"Speak of the devil!" Ayame bounced to his feet and wrapped his arms around Shizuka when she came into the room. She looked very dazed. "Hel_lo_, Shizuka-chan! It's wonderful to see you again! Remember me?"

"How… can I… forget?" Shizuka squeaked out, looking at Shigure.

"Shii!" Ayame turned his head, his cheek resting against the side of Shizuka's head. "You never introduced me, did you?"

"Shizuka-chan, this is my cousin. Ayame. He's Yuki's brother."

Ayame hugged Shizuka again and pulled one arm away, keeping on arm firmly around her waist. Shizuka was going bright red. "I stopped by to see my dear brother but alas it seems he went to school."

"Whazz goin' on?" Kyo came into the room, rubbing his eyes. "Whaz he doin' here?"

"Kyo!" Ayame said, surprised. "Whatever are you doing skipping school? Tsk, naughty boy."

"What the hell is that fairy doing here?" Kyo demanded, face flushing red.

Ayame put his free hand on his hip. He kept the other arm around Shizuka, who was frozen to the spot. "I resent that remark, Kyo."

"You resent any remark that doesn't help flare up your already-huge ego," Shigure said with a giggle. "He came here to visit me. We _are_ best friends after all."

"Then why is his arm around her?" Kyo growled out, staring in disbelief. He had never seen any of his male cursed-cousins have their arms around a strange girl before. Shizuka didn't look as if she was enjoying it, but Ayame certainly did. _He's a pervert,_ Kyo thought with disgust. _That's the only reason he's visiting, to get his arms around her._ That idea caused Kyo to grow angry. _How perverted can you get? She's half his age, practically!_

Kyo realized he didn't know how old Shizuka was. Surely she was a bit older than him, because she wasn't going to school.

_How come we don't turn?_ The cat wondered, still staring at Ayame and Shizuka. _Would I turn?_ The thought of wrapping his arms around Shizuka and finding out somehow pleased him. He didn't like that so he grew even angrier and found himself shoving Ayame away from her.

"Don't be such a pervert, Ayame!" He snarled. "Go back to your stupid shop and leave us the hell alone!"

Ayame stared in surprise. "Is Kyo jealous?" He asked with a smirk. "How adorable!"

"_Just get the hell out of this house_!"

Shigure put a hand on Kyo's shoulder. "Calm down," he said.

"_STOP TELLING ME WHAT TO DO_!" Kyo ran outside, forgetting it was raining. He skid to a halt just feet from the door and sunk to his knees, feeling sleepy.

_Stupid, stupid, stupid_ he thought and turned, halfway crawling back into the house. _Why does everything have to be so goddamned difficult for me?_

"Are you all right, Sohma-kun?"

He glared up at Shizuka. She was looking down at him with worry. "Damn it!" He sat up, rubbing his eyes. "Don't—"

"Call you by your family name," she finished for him and gave a bow. "It seems everyone in this house has that in common. I apologize, Kyo-kun."

"And don't call me that either. Just Kyo. I hate Kyo-kun."

"I wouldn't want to offend you," Shizuka said, still bowed.

"You don't seem like you like to offend _any_one." _Damn it!_ he thought. _Another Tohru, only worse. This one is weird. And she doesn't cook. But she likes fish, so she's not all bad…_ "Why are you Shigure's assistant?"

Shizuka looked up again. Her eyes held something deep within them and Kyo wondered what that was. Something hidden. A painful secret.

"Sohma…" She paused and frowned. "Sohma-sensei put me here."

Kyo got a confused look on his face. "Who?"

"Sohma-sensei."

_Who the hell is she talking about! Not Shigure, she calls him san, _Kyo thought, annoyed. "Who?"

Shizuka bit her bottom lip. "Hatori-san. He… is a doctor, isn't he?"

"Oh, yeah."

"I…" She looked like she was going to say something, but instead she straightened up. "I better see if Shigure-san wants anything." She left the hallway and a moment later, Ayame came flying out of the house as he shouted something about visiting later.

Kyo stood up and made his way up to his room. He plopped down on the bed and fell into a deep sleep.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

After lunch, Shizuka started doing her job as assistant. She looked up whatever Shigure told her to and wrote down the information.

It wasn't as much work as she thought it would be. Half the time, he didn't even need her. She was left by herself and spent the time in Shigure's room, reading.

She tried to read some of his books but the first one she picked up… Well, she was blushing and flustered by the end of the first chapter.

One book seemed to be used the most. It was a history of the Chinese zodiac. Shizuka opened it and it fell directly open to the pages about the dog. Shigure had drawn little hearts and arrows everywhere on those pages.

_How odd,_ she thought and started going through the book. It seemed Shigure had added whatever he pleased to the pictures. The Rat had a crown, the Cow had earrings, the Tiger had little smiley faces surrounded it, the Rabbit had candy at its feet, the Dragon had a stethoscope, the Snake was looking in a mirror, the Horse was wearing a bell necklace, the Sheep had a thought bubble with a tiger drawn in it, the Monkey was wearing a dress, the Rooster was in a cage, the Dog had a book drawn at its feet and the Boar was thinking about a cat.

Shizuka turned the page and was surprised to find a thirteenth animal. A Cat. Shivers went down her back as she stared at the picture in the book (Shigure had drawn little anger marks around its face).

As she read about the Cat, she didn't hear the door open or sense Shigure standing there. She finished reading the legend and looked up at the shelves of books, deep in thought.

"Do you like my art?"

Shizuka leapt up so high, her head nearly hit the ceiling. Her eyes went blank and purple lines appeared on her face. "SHIGURE-SAN!" She shrieked, arms waving. "I DIDN'T SEE YOU THERE! I'M SORRY! I DIDN'T MEAN TO SNOOP INTO YOUR BOOKS!"

Shigure chuckled as he picked up the book. "I don't mind much. I started the little artistic additions in elementary school." and _added the others as I got older, and as they got older,_ He thought.

Shizuka bowed so deeply, her forehead smacked the floor. Her eyes were still blank and she looked woozily up, her forehead red now. "I'm… so… sorry… Shi…gure… san…"

Shigure bent over and tucked his fingers under her chin. "It's fine, Shizuka-chan. Feel free to look at the books all you want. I wouldn't want you to grow bored."

Shizuka blinked a few times and came back to her senses. She went bright red and stood up. Shigure was still leaning over so his face was an inch or two from her body as she stood. He went an interesting shade of red when her breasts nearly brushed his face. Now he was even redder as his head was even with her hip area.

"Some days I'll need you more than others," Shigure said, straightening up and tucking his hands into the sleeves of his kimono. "So the days I don't, you'll be free to do whatever you want. Consider this house to be your house."

Shizuka looked slightly surprised. "Oh!" She said and then went red, remembering to bow. "Thank you, Shigure-san. I appreciate all you and your family are doing for me. I wish there was some way to pay you back."

"Being my assistant is more than enough. And brightening up this dull house with your lovely features."

Shizuka smiled, blushing even more. "Thank you, Shigure-san. Thank you."

Shigure kept his hands inside his sleeves. He wanted to hug her, and resisted doing so. He turned and quickly left the room, wondering why Akito wanted her here and not at the main house.

**Author's Note:**

All the san-chan-kun-sensei names I hope I get right. I'm sure I'm making mistakes, but as I'm English and not Japanese… I can't tell! I learned the honorific titles from a website and just cross my fingers in hopes I get them right.

Also, just a note: there will be an Akito spoiler much later in the story. About the real Akito the manga fans know. But this won't happen for a while (probably in the late teens. Yes my fanfic will be that long). Please review, because if you like this story and want the next chapter, I now refuse to update until I get a review or two because I'm like that.


	4. Hatsuharu Visits!

**Chapter Four- Hatsuharu Visits!**

_Why won't this fucking rain stop?_ Kyo curled up in a tighter ball, burying his face in his arms. It was the afternoon and it was still raining, raining, raining! I hate this. I hate myself. Why can't I be normal? He snorted slightly. _Or even half-normal like the others? Damn Yuki…_

0-0-0-0-0-0

Yuki was trying to sneak into his own house. He hoped Shizuka would be somewhere else, but it was a no-go and he nearly ran into her on the stairs.

"Yuki-kun!" She said in surprise. She was hugging several books to her chest and looks perfectly nice.

The hairs on the back of Yuki's neck stood on end and his hands automatically curled into fists.

"Shi… zuka… chan." He forced himself to smile. "How are you settling in?"

"Perfectly well, thank you. Is Kyo-kun sick?"

Yuki was surprised by this. "No. Why?"

"Since he stayed home from school today…" Shizuka shrugged. "And he only came out of his room once. I was a bit worried."

_She sounds a bit like Tohru,_ Yuki thought and his entire body flinched at the idea Tohru and Shizuka were alike. "Kyo gets like this during this kind of weather." Something inside of him made him say, "Yeah in a way he's sick."

Shizuka bowed and brushed past him as she went downstairs. The touch made Yuki give an audible grunt. She stopped and turned. "Did I hurt you?"

"No," Yuki said, rubbing the spot on his arm. "No…" He didn't know what else to say so he hurried to his room where he stayed until dinner.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Dinner without Tohru went quietly. Kyo continually stabbed his food, Yuki just glared intently at his food and Shigure was lost in thought about his novel.

The doorbell broke the silence and Yuki was relieved for an excuse to leave the room. He was surprised when he opened the door and found himself looking up into Hatsuharu's face.

The teenager's eyes went dark and his arms slowly spread. "Yuki," he said gently, bringing his cousin in for a hug.

Yuki sighed, his face pressed against Haru's chest. It had stopped raining not long ago and Yuki was a bit glad, because he knew his cousin would be soaked clear through otherwise. "What do you want, Haru?"

Haru's arms tightened and he buried his face against the top of Yuki's head. "I got lost," he said simply. "I don't remember where I was headed anyway." He let go and kicked off his shoes.

Yuki rubbed the back of his head, sighing. "Do you want me to call someone from the main house to come fetch you?"

Hatsuharu blinked a few times and ambled into the hallway. "I think I was coming here. But I left so early and now it's late."

"It's dinnertime."

"I remember." Haru's face remained blank. It always did. "I came to see Shizuka-chan."

Yuki lifted his eyebrows in surprise and he felt revulsion spread through his body. Jealousy soon followed. "Why?"

"I can't remember," he said simply and went into the dining room. Yuki followed. "Shizuka-chan."

Shizuka looked slightly panicked. "Oh!" She said, dropping her chopsticks. "It's you."

Hatsuharu knelt down at Yuki's spot and picked up the chopsticks. Yuki didn't particularly care. He was too angry with his cousin. _He came here to see her,_ He thought. _He wants to see her_…

"You can finish my dinner," Yuki said quietly. "I'm not hungry."

"But Yuki-sama!" Shigure whined. "Tohru-chan made this delicious feast and here you are, squandering away her labors like a selfish prince!" Yuki went to his room and Shigure sighed. "He can be so selfish at times."

Haru stared at a piece of food then turned his calm gaze to the dog. "How come you call so many of us Sama?"

Shigure tilted his head to one side. "Because I have so many pretty cousins."

Haru's lips twitched as he opened them to eat. "You are a pervert."

"Aah! But I know someone who's twice worse than me when he gets into one of his _moods_." Shigure gave Haru a look.

Haru blinked and ate another bit of food. "I really don't know what you're talking about, Shii-san. Really, your imagination runs far too wild. How are you fitting in here, Shizuka-chan? I hope my cousin isn't taking advantage of you."

Shizuka gulped slightly. "No, Shigure-san is being perfectly nice!" She squeaked out. Shigure noticed how uncomfortable she seemed around Hatsuharu. _What did he do to her?_ he wondered, a bit amused. _Was he Black when they first met?_

"Not all of us take advantage of lovely young flowers," Shigure said with a wink at Haru. "Oh! Now that you're here, I can ask you something. We're building on two additions. Would you like to help?"

Shigure expected him to say no. So he was quite taken back when Haru stared at Shizuka and said he'd be glad to help after classes.

"Will Yuki be helping?"

Shigure smiled. This was more like the old Haru. "Not generally. I don't want him to get so weak, working with heavy objects outside."

Kyo finally spoke up. "That damn rat is far from weak!" He snarled out, slamming his chopsticks down. "He's about as weak as a mountain!"

"And you, Kyo-Kyo, are merely aggravated at the fact you are wind, huffing and puffing to blow the mountain down and are unable to do so."

"_DON'T CALL ME KYO-KYO!_!" Kyo screamed, throwing his plate at Shigure. "AND I'LL BEAT THAT DAMN RAT! JUST WATCH ME!"

He ran from the room and soon they heard a loud crash from upstairs. The three people glanced out into the hallway and saw Kyo bouncing down the stairs, cheek bruised nastily. He rolled a few feet and sat there, looking completely desolate.

Haru smirked. "Lost again," he said.

"Shut up," Kyo growled, rubbing his cheek. "Just shut up!"

"Tohru is an excellent cook," Haru said, finishing off the food on Yuki's plate and putting more on. "I'm so hungry. I was wandering around for quite a while."

"You poor thing!" Shigure said. "Your sense of direction is so bad. Perhaps you should start writing down where you're going before you leave so you won't forget."

"That won't help me if I get lost trying to find it," Haru pointed out. "But it's an interesting thought nonetheless."

Kyo stalked back into the room and angrily finished his dinner. Without a word, he went outside and everyone knew he was heading to the roof.

After everyone else finished, Shizuka gathered up the dishes and went into the kitchen. She was a bit glad she didn't have to clean up after other people. She never would survive in this house as a maid.

"Shizuka-chan…"

She dropped the dishes in the sink and turned, finding herself directly in Hatsuharu's arms. He wrapped them around her and bent down, putting his head on her shoulder.

He did this every five minutes after they first bumped into one another. _All the Sohmas seem to enjoy hugging,_ Shizuka thought nervously. But when she thought about it, she realized she hadn't seen any of them hug Tohru. Not even Yuki. _Perhaps it's just this one and Ayame…_ she thought, wondering if she should push the white-haired boy away.

"I don't want to make you uncomfortable," he said after pulling away. His arms were still on either side of her, pinning her against the sink. "But I can't help myself… I've never…" He trailed off, his eyes darkening with loneliness.

Shizuka shifted slightly. "I, er, wanted to thank you for taking me to your cousin." She gave him a look and hoped he'd pull away, but he didn't. "Sensei was so kind to me, and it's nice to be here. I've only been here a day but it feels like home." _It feels better than home,_ she added in her mind.

Hatsuharu leaned forward, his face inches from hers. "I hope you won't mind me coming over to help Shii-san build the rooms. You seem very uncomfortable with me."

Shizuka gulped. "I'm just not used to being so close to—to boys…"

"It will be difficult then." Haru lifted a hand and placed it against her smooth cheek. "What, with Shii-san, Yuki and Kyo living here." He pulled away and Shizuka slipped past him. "I don't want you to be uncomfortable around me. I just… I never…"

Shigure sauntered in. "Well, well, well!" He said brightly. "What do we have here? Haru, stop scaring my assistant."

Haru turned and blinked at Shigure. "I should get back," he said simply. "I'll come here with Yuki tomorrow." He left without saying goodbye.

Shizuka tried to get past Shigure but he stopped her. "Haru isn't used to being able to be around girls," he said. "He lives at the Sohma estate. All the girls he's around are relatives."

She looked up at him. "Oh…"

"And he'd never do anything to you. Unless he gets in one of his moods, but I'm sure he won't with a sweet hana like you around." Shigure smiled. "Thank you for clearing the table, Shizuka-chan. You _are_ a big help to this dreary place! And tomorrow we'll start building your room!"

**Author's Note:**

Thanks to starr for reviewing! I really appreciate it! This is, by the way, the first Fruits Basket fanfiction I've ever written. It's probably obvious, huuuhhh?

As for the drama stuff, it comes in later…

And I guess I should say, that though there are manga spoilers this is more like… after the anime episodes. I dunno how long after, but a bit after!

Now for a random line I say a lot: Hatsu is su hat! hehehehe he _is_! drool


	5. Destroying The House Before It's Built

**Chapter Five**

Shigure's house seemed more crowded than usual as what felt like every Sohma dropped in to visit. Really, it was just four extra people around but considering two of the people were Ayame and Momiji, it felt like every inch of the house was bursting to the seams with people.

Shigure didn't want other people in the house so it was up to the Sohmas to build the rooms. It wasn't as if it was too hard, since had he had helped build the entire house he lived in. And the Sohmas occasionally built things at their estate. All of them had helped out at one time or another.

Not that all of them actually did any 'helping'. Momiji bounced around, accosting Shizuka every few minutes and forgetting to bring someone a tool he had just been asked to bring. Ayame stood around, hands on hips and hair floating. Whenever someone asked him to do something, he replied he was too busy standing around and looking pretty. And Kyo sat angrily on the roof, glaring down at the noise.

"Isn't it nice to be so helpful?" Ayame asked, perching on a rock and watching his cousins working.

Hatori brushed the hair away from his eye and glowered. "How would you know, considering you're _never_ helpful."

"How hurtful," Ayame said with a pout. "I'm letting you sweaty men have something to look at."

"And how helpful that is!" Shigure insisted. "But what would be better is if you did some work."

"And ruin this outfit? Ah!" He leapt to his feet and sidled up behind Shizuka. His arms were around her in an instant.

Shizuka nearly dropped the tray of drinks she was carrying. "Erm, hello Ayame-san…"

"Konichiwa, Shizuka-chan!" Ayame said, leaning forward so he could see her face clearly. "This lovely day as been officially made lovelier by your supplement."

"I brought some drinks out for the working men," she said.

"What, I'm not a man?"

Shizuka bit her bottom lip, obviously trying not to laugh. "You're not working." She pulled free from him and took the tray over to the area where they were working.

Shigure, Hatori and Hatsuharu gladly picked up the glasses. Momiji took his and finished it in an instant, and then hugged her tightly. "You're so kind, Shizuka-chan!" He said. "You and Tohru-chan are the most perfect girls I know!"

"Kyo?" She called up to the roof. "I brought you a drink as well."

Kyo slid down to the edge of the roof and looked at her with loathing. "I'm not working. I don't need your damn kindness." He winced. "But, uh, yeah—you shouldn't have thought about me." He climbed down and took the glass. "Uh… thanks."

"Ah, did everyone hear that?" Shigure asked. "Our dear Kyo-Kyo has thanked—" The glass was dumped on top of the writer's head.

"Don't call me that," Kyo warned.

"With your strength, the rooms would be built a lot sooner," Ayame pointed out.

Hatsuharu opened his mouth to say something but then changed his mind. He finished his drink and pressed the glass into Shizuka's hand. "That was wonderful," he said to her. "Thank you. That was perfect, just what I needed."

"It was just a fruit drink!" Kyo snapped. "You're acting like it was some big thing!"

Haru's eyes flicked over. "And you just tossed your aside like it was nothing. You have no respect for a girl's feelings, do you?"

Kyo's hands balled into fists. "You're one to talk, _Haru_! You never give a damn about anyone other than yourself."

"I care more about others than you seem to." Haru's teeth were clenched. All the Sohmas knew that at any second, his other nature would burst forth.

"You liar!" Kyo said. "You just walk around pretending to be all nice when really you're a complete ass!"

Haru bent forward, mouth curling into a sneering grin and his hair darkening. "If you think so, why don't you try to stop me?"

"_I WILL_!"

The two lunged for each other and each one connected their fist to the other's face simultaneously. They both collapsed back on the ground, cheeks bright red.

Kyo was the first one up. He leapt to Haru, who lifted his feet and slammed them into Kyo's stomach. The cat went flying back and crashed into one of the wooden beams that was going to be used in the room.

"They're destroying part of the house that hasn't even been built yet!" Shigure whined. "It isn't fair, oh my poor house! Why must it take such abuse?"

Haru was on top of Kyo in an instant, fingers digging into his neck. Kyo jerked his elbow into Haru's chest and slammed the palm of his hand into Haru's nose.

"You'll kill each other!" Shizuka shrieked, hands clasped.

Ayame was at her side in an instant. "Those two never get along," he whispered into her ear, his arm clamping around her waist. "They always fight and they always survive. Haven't you seen my darling brother and that idiot fight yet?"

"They've been unusually complacent," Shigure said. "Actually, Yuki's been acting rather strange."

"Where _is_ he?" Ayame asked.

"I think he's at the library until Tohru gets off work," Shigure answered.

Haru went soaring back, breaking another beam. He wiped the blood from his mouth, eyes wild. "Come on, cat-boy!" He said, face twisted in an evil grin. "Is that the best you've got? I'm gonna grow old before you scratch me up with your pathetic claws!"

"YOU DAMN BASTARD!" Kyo screamed, punching Haru as hard as he could. Haru leaned back and Kyo ran into him. Haru wrapped an arm tightly around Kyo's body and brought his knee up between the redhead's legs.

Shigure and Ayame winced and Hatori merely sighed. Momiji was sitting on Shizuka's back, arms around her neck. "I wish those two wouldn't fight so much," he said quietly. "I'm sure they'd get along so well if they didn't."

"One of them is going to get so hurt!" Shizuka said, fingers pressed against her lips. "They shouldn't be fighting!"

Haru threw Kyo across the grounds and watched in contempt as his body landed with a thud on the ground. But Kyo wasn't beaten yet. He got up and threw himself against the tree. His feet slammed against the trunk and he went leaping towards Haru. Haru reached up to grab him, but Kyo flipped in the air and was about to slam his foot down into Haru's face, when Shizuka gave a shriek.

"Oh please don't!"

Kyo looked up and was caught off-guard. Haru grabbed him and flung him across the grounds again. He leapt over and put one foot on Kyo's chest, pushing down.

"I win, cat-boy," he said haughtily.

Kyo struggled under the booted foot. "Get off of me you damn cow! I was just distracted!"

Hatsuharu got off him and went over to Shizuka. He was still Black Haru so nobody was really sure what he'd do. He just pushed Momiji off of her, wrapped his arms around her and dipped her.

"Thanks for the win, babe," he said and kissed her on the lips.

Once he finished, he pulled away and wiped the blood from his hands onto his pants. He gave his cousins a contemptuous look and the beaten Kyo a smirk.

"Haaaaaaaruuuu!" Momiji whined out, going to Shizuka and looking up into her stunned face. "I think you scared her."

"Ah… er… eeehh…" Shizuka squeaked out, hands against her mouth.

Haru snorted, putting his nose in the air. "She should be honored. She's gotten something most girls just dream about. A kiss from ore-sama isn't something to be brushed aside like a fly."

Shigure skipped nimbly over to his frozen assistant. "Shizuka-chan," he whispered. "This is the mood I warned you about. We call it Black Haru. Don't mind anything he does in this state, he has no control over it and forgets about most of it afterward."

Shizuka gazed over to where Kyo was still on the ground. "Kyo-kun!" She said and started heading over. An arm shot out and stopped her.

"Don't bother him, sweetie," Black Haru said huskily. "Just let him wallow in defeat."

"I'm not…" Kyo grunted out, rolling onto his stomach and pushing himself up on his hands and knees. "I'm not wallowing, you bastard. Let go of her."

"Aw, does the kitty not like that?" Black Haru asked with a laugh. "I think the kitty gets jealous. Are you jealous about Tohru? Yuki took her from you. Now you want this girl. Face it, cat-boy, you're gonna be alone for the rest of your cursed—"

"_Hatsuharu_!" Hatori roared out. He was over there in an instant and was prying Black Haru's arm from Shizuka's waist. "I don't care how you treat Kyo, but to treat a guest in such a manner is unthinkable."

Black Haru narrowed his eyes, face sneering. "Don't touch me, you damn doctor." He pulled his arm free and tumbled back into Shizuka. The two crashed to the ground and Shizuka finally gained her sense back.

She rolled out from under him, reaching back and making sure her obi was still in place.

Haru pushed himself up. His hair was white, his features blank. "What happened?" He asked calmly, kneeling on the ground and staring at the blood on his knuckles. He saw Kyo and his eyebrows shot downward. "Oh."

Hatori jerked Hatsuharu up. "I think we'll head back to the estate now. You too, Momiji."

"What did I do?" Hatsuharu asked and saw a look of horror in Shizuka's eyes. "Did I hurt you? Shizuka-chan… I…"

"I'll try to come back tomorrow to help, Shigure. Come _on_ Momiji. We've spent far too much time away from the estate as it is…"

Hatori dragged Hatsuharu down the path and Momiji skipped after them, waving goodbye to Shizuka.

**Author's Note:**

Whoo-hoo! My first flame! I'm so proud of myself. Really, I am. I think flames are so amusing because they're so pointless. Because it's a comment to chapter four, it meant the person was reading it even though they hated it! o.O I always found that confusing. It's like… If you hate the story… then don't read it… Hmm, easy enough. If I start reading a fanfic that is stupid/crap… I just stop reading. Also, if that person who-hates-my-story-yet-read-all-four-chapters reads this, please explain what you mean by it doesn't flow? That tells me nothing, so I can't do anything about it. If you mean there's no… um, 'point' to it then that's because there's not yet. The real stuff happens later.

I am not disheartened by flames because as crappy as my story is (I know it's crap, by the way) I've read crappier:-D

So read and enjoy, read and don't enjoy. Tell me you love it, hate it, think I'm a complete idiot, threaten to kill me for destroying everything—I don't care. It's just a story. Get over it.

(and as for Mary-Sues, I don't think there's anything wrong with making up new characters because new characters are added into things all the time by the own author. Of course, the author does a much better job of it… But still!)

I'm not writing this story to become some great fanfic, oh-so-popular. I'm writing it because one night, late at night, when I was half-asleep I thought putting Shizuka in the FB world would be fun. It's more of a… I'm-writing-this-for-me-but-sharing-the-idiocy-and-crappityness-with-the-world story

Oh, and thanks for reminding me about the whole OOC/OC thing. I Honestly THOUGHT I typed 'OC' but when I was writing up the summary, I wasn't feeling very well (ear infection!) so I wasn't really paying attention… thanks:-)


	6. Ayame Contemplates Er, Kind've

**Chapter Six**

Yuki sat at the table, feeling a bit guilty that he was keeping Tohru up this late. But he had to talk to her about Shizuka. Yuki's feeling for her grew more and more bitter as the days passed by.

Everyone else in the house was sound asleep and Tohru looked like she was going to drop off at any second.

"What is it, Yuki?" She asked.

Yuki sighed, staring at his hands. "It's about Shizuka-chan."

Tohru's face went stony. "…oh?" She asked, gripping the cup of milk she had just poured for herself. "Wh-what about her?"

Yuki gazed up and saw the look in her face. "Oh!" He gasped out. "Nothing like that, Tohru. No, nothing like that. In fact, the complete opposite." He reached over and took her hands in his. "Truth be told… I can't stand her."

Tohru gave a little gasp. "What? But she's so nice…!"

Yuki shook his head, his hair sweeping in his eyes. "I know, Tohru. I _know_! I've been thinking about it. I can't find a single reason not to like her, or even _try_ to like her. But… I don't know…" Yuki lowered his head in embarrassment. "I see her and I feel… so strange…"

"How so?" Tohru asked softly.

"I… I can't… I _shouldn't_ tell you. It's made worse by the fact she's a _she_. Perhaps if she were a he, my feelings might be better suited."

"Why?"

"I want to…" Yuki gripped Tohru's hand. His eyes focused on his sleeves so they wouldn't meet Tohru's wide ones. "I want to hurt her," he admitted in a whisper.

"_What_?" Tohru said, shocked. "But… _why_?"

"Why?" Yuki's head snapped up. "I don't know, and that is aggravating me! Tohru, I don't know what's wrong with me but when I see Shizuka I just… these thoughts… these feelings…" He shook his head wildly. "I've never felt this way before, well not to a complete stranger. I have these feelings towards Kyo. Towards Ayame. Even to Shigure (you know how infuriating he can get!) but never to someone I don't know. I don't have any reason not to like her. But I don't like her. At all."

Tohru bit her bottom lip, not sure what to say.

"When she brushed against me… her arm against mine…" Yuki pulled one hand free and touched the spot. "It pissed me off so much. It was if Kyo had just come up and touched my arm for no apparent reason. I felt such anger… such hatred… Tohru, I _don't like this_!"

A tear slid down Tohru's cheek. She loved Yuki so much and to see him hurting like this… it hurt her. "Yuki," she said, squeezing his hand. "I don't know what to tell you."

"I understand, I honestly do… I don't know what to make of it myself." Yuki pulled Tohru's hands to his mouth and kissed her fingertips. "Until I do, I'll try to avoid her the best I can."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Although Yuki was trying his best to avoid Shigure's assistant, his cousins certainly weren't. Ayame was over the next day to 'help out with the building' (he actually handed Shigure a hammer then collapsed against a rock, announcing himself completely exhausted).

"Look at him working," Ayame said, hugging his knees to his chest. He and Shizuka were watching Shigure work by himself.

"Please, Shigure-san, let me help!" Shizuka said.

Shigure brushed his hair from his eyes. "Nonsense!" He said. "I can do this. Besides, school will be out and Haru and Kyo can help."

"Haru-kun will be coming?" Shizuka asked, looking a bit terrified. He did seem nice enough (when he wasn't in _that mood_) but he hugged her way too often for her comfort.

"Do you have a problem with that?" Shigure asked, looking at her with rapt attention.

Shizuka blushed, looking down at her knees. "N-no, Shigure-san. I didn't mean it like that. I just don't want him and Kyo-kun to start fighting again."

"Oh those two always fight, don't _worry_!" Ayame said, arm snaking around her waist and pulling her close.

Shizuka leapt off the rock and hurried over to her boss. "Please, Shigure-san!" She said. "Please let me help. I hate to see you working so hard by yourself!"

"This is what's called _manners_!" Shigure said to his friend. "If you hang around her long enough you might pick some up yourself, Aaya!"

Ayame laughed, his hair wavering in a nonexistent wind. "I have enough manners to suit myself. Besides, I don't want to spoil this outfit by sweating."

"You could borrow one of my outfits."

"No thank you." Ayame fell flat back against the rock, soaking up the sun and sighing blissfully.

Shigure noticed Shizuka trying to help. He took her wrists. "No," he said quietly. "Look, I made a list of words I need defined. They're sitting on my desk. You go do that, Shizuka-chan."

Shizuka bowed and went inside. The moment she did, Shigure marched over to where Ayame laid and tapped the hammer's handle against his chest. "Look you," he said threateningly. "I know hugging non-cursed girls is a novelty, but you really are scaring her. With Haru's Black mood yesterday, I think she's had enough of Sohmas halfway molesting her at every other turn."

Ayame stuck his lower lip in a pout. "Aw, Shii-san!" He whined. "I know you want to cuddle up to her as much as the rest of us—"

"Be that as it may, she's only a child. An innocent little flower."

"Innocence in your house lasts about as long as a fixed door does, Shii."

Shigure sighed, rolling his eyes. "Akito has something up his sleeve, Aaya. I wouldn't meddle in it."

"What _does_ he want, anyway?"

Shigure sat down next to his cousin. "I don't know. But I do know it involves…" _Should I tell him_? Shigure wondered and decided it wouldn't hurt. "It involves Kyo."

Ayame looked interested now. "Oh?" He asked, a naughty smirk on his face. "And why is that?"

"I don't know!" Shigure admitted. "I have to write up every encounter those two have and give them to Akito once a week. So far I don't have much, and I hope it stays that way. I'm hoping Shizuka leaves before she wades in too deep."

"Kyo's so lonely." Shigure was surprised at this sudden seriousness in Ayame's voice. He didn't trust it very much. "I feel a bit bad for him."

"You… do?"  
Ayame leaned back, staring up at the sky. "We're not exactly the best picks for relationships, Shii. But Yuki's found someone to be with. Someone _outside_ the family. That… that's… never going to happen again. Akito wouldn't… let that… happen again…"

They both thought of Hatori and Kana.

"What about Mine?" Shigure asked.

Ayame smiled sadly. "Our relationship isn't exactly permanent. She sees other men. I don't care. They can give her what I can't. A shoulder to lean against."

Shigure looked down and saw a bit of sadness in Ayame's eyes. "I'm sorry."

"It doesn't matter. I knew our relationship isn't exactly as sturdy as cement. But I get sex, and that's enough for now." He sat up, his hair floating gently around his beautiful face. "Is that all we'll ever have, Shii?"

Shigure put an arm around Ayame. "Zodiac members have gotten married before. It's not common, but it has happened."

"Hiro and Kisa are lucky."

"Hmm," Shigure said and shook his head. "Not if Akito has anything to say about it."

Ayame's eyes narrowed into slits. "Why does he have to be such a bastard? Why can't he just let some of us be happy? He's destroyed us, Shii. He's…"

Shigure leaned down, pressing his face into Ayame's neck. "Let's not talk about Akito. Please, Aaya."

"I just wish I knew what he was up to with Shizuka and Kyo."

"I don't know. He won't even tell me. I don't even know how non-human she is."

Ayame blinked. "She _looks_ very human." He closed his eyes, making them look like upside-down U's. "Lucky Ha'ri, getting to examine her! I wonder what she looks like under those clothes…"

Shigure chuckled and went back to work. "You're such a pervert, Ayame."

"Ah, you've never minded before."

"Just… try not to interfere with Shizuka." Shigure gave him a look. "I don't want Akito getting angry with you and spoiling your features."

0-0-0-0-0-0

It was the end of the first week, and Shigure was kneeling on Akito's floor. He gripped a stack of papers in his hand and was a bit nervous to hand them over.

Akito was being examined by Hatori but ignored the doctor. "They've barely spoken?"

"Kyo is avoiding her and everyone else in the house," Shigure said. "He's been doing this since Honda-chan and Yuki…" He trailed off.

Akito smirked. "Try to get them to interact, Shigure. It's very important."

"I'll try, Akito. But Kyo can be so difficult."

"On my _orders_, Shigure. Have them together. Lock them up in a room or something. Just make _sure_ they have _some_ time together, and see what the Cat does!"

"You mustn't get so passionate," Hatori said quietly. "You'll over exert yourself."

Akito smacked Hatori's hand away. "Shut up, Dragon."

The corners of Hatori's lips turned down in a frown. "I'm just looking out for your health."

"My health…" Akito gave a snort and went over to Shigure. He pulled the papers from the dog's hands and glanced through them. "How is Yuki dealing with the new guest?"

Shigure looked down. "He's avoiding her more than Kyo is. I don't think he likes her."

This seemed to amuse the head of the Sohma family. Indeed, Akito gave an evil chuckle. "No, he wouldn't now would he, Hatori?" Hatori was putting his things away. He chose not to answer. "And how do you like her, my precious Dog?"

Akito slid two fingers under Shigure's chin and forced him to look up. "She's a sweet girl," he admitted. "And a very good assistant."

"Do you like her?" He leaned down so his lips were next to Shigure's ears. "You can hold her. Do you?"

"No," Shigure said honestly.

"And why not? I thought you animals would be leaping at the chance to get close to someone." Akito ran his fingers up Shigure's cheek, his fingernails leaving a tiny white mark. "I know how much you like to nuzzle one another. That stupid Sheep and the Tiger. The Cow and his precious Horse. That damned Boar and the Cat." Akito smirked. "And you even try to get close to those you shouldn't. People outside. People who can hurt you." His hand was on Shigure's head, but his eyes were staring at Hatori.

Shigure bowed his head. "She's far too young for me."

"Hmph." Akito dug his nails into Shigure's scalp. "You're such an obedient little puppy, aren't you? You don't go near her because you're afraid of angering me. Well you're right, it would anger me." Akito let go and indicated for Shigure to stand up. "She's there for one reason and one reason only. Now go back, get out of here. _Leave me alone_!"

Shigure bowed and gladly left the room. Hatori followed a few minutes later and grabbed Shigure's arm.

"I think there's something you should know," Hatori said.

Shigure looked at the doctor. "What?"

"Shizuka. She isn't human…"

"I _know_ that."

"Her blood is so strange…" Hatori narrowed his eyes. Shigure could see a bit of fear in them. "Akito might not want me to tell you… but I…"

"We wouldn't want to anger Akito."

"No, you're right…" Hatori walked down the path with the dog. "But do try to convince Shizuka to leave. For her own good."

"I don't like her around," Shigure admitted. "Akito is using her for some twisted purpose and I _don't_ like it. I'm trying, Ha'ri."

At the gate, Hatori put his hand on Shigure's shoulder. "I'm not telling you about her bloodline. But I think you should know… well… She always wears that scarf. And the obi."

"…yes?"

Hatori opened the gate. "Try to get her to remove the scarf. I want you to know but I can't tell you. Get her to remove the scarf. You'll see for yourself what's so strange about her." Hatori watched his friend leave the estate. "Oh and Shii? Please tell Yuki his checkup is tomorrow."

**Author's Note:**

There's not much of Tohru since it's so hard for me to write her personality…

Anyway, I thought I should mention the sensei/sama thing. Here's what I read, or parts of it: "Sensei is used to refer to or address… practitioners of a profession such as doctors…" and "Sama is also often used for people considered to… be particularly attractive" and so on. So Shizuka calls Hatori 'sensei' and the two flamboyant members of the Mabudachi trio call some of their cousins Sama.

I'm really excited how this story is going, particularly the end (I'm so anxious to write it!) and I hope ya'll like it! Thanks Padfoot's love for the review and everyone else who reads this (and likes it)!


	7. Locked In

**Chapter Seven**

_How am I supposed to convince her to leave?_ Shigure wondered as he ate dinner. _I can't just ask her to leave. That would be going against Akito's orders. I have to make her hate it here. The best one to make someone mad is Kyo. Perhaps… _Shigure's eyes shone. _I can do both what Akito wants _and_ the right thing at the same time! If Shizuka and Kyo get locked up together for a short while, his temper would surely make her upset enough to leave! Yes, perfect. Ah, Shii you're a genius!_

It was easy enough to get rid of Yuki and Tohru—they were going out shopping and spending a little 'together time'.

_Which room would be best_? He wondered. _Kyo would just break down any locked door. He has no respect for my house whatsoever. No wait… the basement. That door is sturdy. And there is a lock on the outside. Yes, the basement. And it's just big enough so they wouldn't be too terribly uncomfortable_!

After the lovebirds left, Shigure asked Shizuka to go down into the basement to look for a book he didn't really own. After she disappeared down the stairs, he turned to Kyo.

"Could you help her?"

"Huh?" Kyo looked up. "Why should I do anything? You go down to help her."

Shigure folded his hands together. "Kyo-kun!" He whined. "I feel _so_ tired! And poor Shizuka-chan, down in the basement all alone! Who knows what horrible critters might be lying in wait? What if some bug bites her? Poisons our little flower and she's down there right now, trying desperately to call for help but her swollen throat is unable to get a sound out and—"

"_All right already_!" Kyo snarled, getting up. "Just to shut you up! Honestly, that idiot is nothing but an egotistical…" Kyo padded down the stairs. Shigure waited till he was at the bottom and then closed the door, locking it.

_I'm terribly sorry, Shizuka_, he thought. _It's for your own good to leave and I know Kyo can drive anyone to the edge. And Kyo… Akito's orders…_

He pushed a table in front of the door for extra measure before going to his office for some writing.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Shizuka was kneeling in front of a box labeled _Shigure's Books_ when someone came up behind her. "Oh!" She turned and saw a very pissed-off Kyo standing there with a torch. "What are you doing down here?"

"How the hell should I know?" Kyo growled. "Shigure wanted me to…" _But why should I do anything that damn dog wants?_ He thought angrily. _Why do I let him get to me? Why do I let him order me around like a kid? Why_…

"You don't need to stay down here for my sake," She said, opening the top of the box and going through the titles. "I'll be fine."

"Damn it!" Kyo said, kicking the wall. "I'm down here, aren't I? God, why do you and that Tohru have to be so damned _nice_ all the time?"

Shizuka stared down into the box. "It does get annoying, doesn't it?"

This wasn't the reaction Kyo was expecting and he nearly dropped the flashlight. "Huh?"

"I… I'm never usually like this…" She said softly. "I guess I just want everyone to like me."

Kyo folded his arms and leaned against the wall. "Just like that damn Yuki."

Shizuka snorted. "He hates me."

"Yuki doesn't hate anyone but me and Ayame. And Akito."

Shizuka shook her head. "I can sense it. Can't you? Yuki-kun hates me. He avoids me. When he talks to me, his entire body is… I dunno, it trembles. Like he's stopping himself from running off. Or something."

_He makes a point never to look at her when we're all in the same room_, Kyo thought. "He usually tries to get everyone to like him, he's stupid."

"He's lonely. But he has Tohru-chan, so there's that." Shizuka closed the box and went to another one. "Who do you have, Kyo-kun? Who's your friend?"

Kyo looked down at the floor. "Nobody," he said quietly. "I have no friends."

"Everybody has friends."

"Not me. Nobody likes me. Everyone likes that damn Yuki. They ignore me…" _I get attention at school_, he thought. _But that's not genuine. They don't know. They can't know. The only friends I can have are those who know. And the people who do know… they hate me_… "What about you?"

Shizuka smiled to herself. "I've never been around people enough to have 'friends'," she said. "My parents would teach me at home. I never got to interact with anyone because of…" She trailed off and Kyo straightened up. Shizuka just stared at the box, but didn't see it. Then she gave a bright smile to Kyo. "My past isn't important, now is it?"

"Shizuka…" Kyo said, frowning. "How old are you?"

"Hmm? Oh, sixteen."

"_WHAT_!" Kyo shrieked. "_But you're not in school_!"

"No, but does that matter? Not everyone finishes school." Shizuka shuffled through the box and sighed. "Honestly, Shigure-san is so disorganized!"

"What about your family?"

He could see her muscles tensing up. He saw her hands go into fists, and her eyes narrowing. "What _about_ them?" She asked a bit coldly.

"Er…" Kyo looked away. "I didn't mean to make you mad. I was just curious."

"Like a cat?"

He fell over slowly, eyes going blank and a sweat drop appearing on the side of his head. "_Hunnnnnnhh?_"

Shizuka looked over, head tilted. "You said you were curious. Curious like a cat. Isn't that the saying?"

"Oh!" Kyo stood up straight, rubbing the back of his head. "Yeah. Uh, I guess it is."

"Curiosity killed the cat…" She said so quietly he nearly didn't hear her.

"You know, your name really doesn't suit you."

Shizuka blushed. "I'm sorry, Kyo-k… Kyo."

"_DON'T CALL MY KYO-KYO_!" He screamed, throwing his fist. It stopped an inch from her face and another sweat drop appeared on his head.

"I wasn't," Shizuka said calmly. She didn't seem at all worried about the fist in front of her face. "I nearly called you 'Kyo-kun' but I stopped myself since you don't like that. So I said Kyo. I guess it did come out like… that name you don't like. I'm sorry."

"Why are you so annoying?"

Shizuka was surrounded by purple and her eyes went into little black dots. "Excuse me?"

Kyo folded his arms and scowled. "Look, not like that. But you and—and Tohru. You're the same. You apologize for everything. Tohru is naturally kind, but you don't seem like that. You've sounded different the past few minutes. You've sounded… different."

"As I said, I want your family to like me so I can stay." Shizuka stood up, brushing off her pants. "So I'm being as nice as I can. If I was like how I usually am…" She smirked. "I can be rather placid but I can lose my temper very easily, too."

"Don't tell me you've got two personalities like Hatsuharu."

She shook her head. "I don't get that bad. I do lose a bit of control, but I can usually stop myself from losing my temper. This past week… whenever I get mad…" She looked up at the ceiling, practically drifting into another world. "I think about who I'm really mad at, and that calms me down. Because no matter how angry I get at your cousins… there are those I'm mad at even more."

"Which cousins?" Kyo asked, a bit interested.

"If you must know," Shizuka said with a bit of a giggle. "I'm not particulary keen on Ayame-san. He scares me. And Yuki-kun, just because…" She stopped herself. "He reminds me of a mouse and I hate mice."

Kyo fell over with a loud 'thunk'. "_MOUSE_?"

"Yes. He's so quiet and withdrawn. He hides in his room a lot. Sounds silly, doesn't it?"

Kyo sat on the floor, his bare feet pressed against each other. "Do I remind you of any animal?"

"Perhaps." She gave a mysterious smile and went through another box. "You're so curious, it's like a cat."

Kyo fell over. "Ahhhhhayahamm…"

"Hmm?"

"_NOTHING_!" He shrieked. "That's so stupid, you know. Thinking people are like animals. _We're not_!"

"I'm not saying you are. It's just I've always connected a person with an animal," She said. "People do act like animals at time."

"What do you think of my cousins?"

"Sensei reminds me so much of a snake."

"_Snake_? Hatori?"

"Yes." Shizuka shut that box and went to another. "He doesn't make much noise. He sits quietly, but by the way he acted with Hatsuharu-kun… I can tell he can strike poisonously if he wants."

Kyo smirked, wondering how Hatori would feel being called a snake. "What about Ayame?" He asked, curious.

"Oh that's easy, a peacock!" Shizuka said with a laugh. "He struts around and preens all the time!"

Kyo grinned. "Momiji? Hatsuharu?"

"Momiji… he's a squirrel. Curious, active and so cute. But so annoying."

"Not a rabbit?"

Shizuka frowned. "Why would I compare him with a rabbit? Rabbits don't make noise, and squirrels chatter all the time."

Kyo shrugged. "Yeah, I guess…"

"Hatsuharu…" She tapped her chin. "That's a good question. It's hard since he has two personalities. When he's nice, he's like… I don't know! But when he's what you call Black Haru… he reminds me a lot of a blue jay. So aggressive and mean…"

Kyo went silent. _So she doesn't compare us to our Zodiac souls_? He thought. _Just Yuki. And me. I wonder why… I never saw Momiji as a squirrel before, but I guess it's true. And Ayame is a lot like a peacock. And Hatori does remind me a bit of a snake, now that I think about it_…

"I'm going to go get something to drink," Kyo growled, heading to the stairs. "Do you want something?"

"Oh yes, please."

Kyo got the door and tried to open it. He pushed, he pulled and nothing happened. _Stuck_? He wondered and shook the door. It sounded like it was locked or something. He continued for a few minutes before going back down. "Shizuka," he said a bit despairingly. "We're stuck down here for a while. The door's been accidentally locked." Shizuka looked at him with wide eyes and Kyo grit his teeth. _Accidentally my ass_, he thought, not wanting to say it out loud. _Shigure locked us in._

He looked down at the sighing Shizuka and turned away.

_But why?_

**Author's Note:**

Yay thanks everyone for the reviews :-) it makes me happy! And starr, _part_ of the reason they don't turn is because she's not human (I mean, I figure when all those cats pounced on Kyo surely one of them must be female!) but it's also because of something else that comes up later.

Haha, through most this story I myself wasn't one hundred percent sure what Akito's plans would be but I figured it out :-) the only thing I'm worried about is it is a _bit_ farfetched but I don't care, it's my fanfiction and I'll do what I want to! Thanks again everyone


	8. I don't feel like thinking of a title!

**Chapter Eight**

It was raining when Shigure noticed how quiet the house was. Yuki and Tohru had returned home hours ago. But where was his assistant? And Kyo?

_Oh yes_! He thought, feeling a bit bad as he remembered. He went down the stairs and pulled the table away from the basement door. _I'm so sorry, Shizuka-chan_! He thought. _But it was for your own… good_?

He had opened the basement door and saw Kyo curled up at the bottom of the stairs, sound asleep and using Shizuka's lap as a pillow. Shizuka had one hand on Kyo's head and the other was holding a book.

She looked up in surprise and gave Shigure one of her smiles. "Good evening, Shigure-san!" She said quietly. "Kyo-kun fell asleep a while ago." She shook him gently. "Kyo, wake up. The door's unlocked."

Shigure just stared down at them. Kyo awoke and sat up, rubbing his eyes. "Why does it have to rain so much?" He asked sleepily. "It's not fair…"

Shizuka stood up, stretching her legs. Kyo stood as well and unsteadily walked up the stairs. Shizuka followed.

"I'm sorry, Shigure-san," she said when she reached the top. "I couldn't find your book."

"I must've accidentally locked the door," he said and bowed. "I'm so sorry, Shizuka-chan! I hope my cousin behaved himself."

"Hmph," Kyo said and kicked the fridge door until it opened. "Accidental? Yeah right."

Shigure stuck his tongue out. "It was!" He whined. "I completely forgot both of you were down there! _Did _Kyo-Kyo behave?"

"Don't call me that," Kyo said as he began drinking milk from the carton.

Shizuka bowed deeply to Shigure. "Oh yes, Shigure-san. Kyo-kun was perfectly nice to me!"

"_He was_!" Shigure said, turning and staring at Kyo. "What, are you sick or something?"

Kyo crushed the empty milk carton in his hands. "How dare you say that," he hissed out. "At this time."

"Ahh! I'm sorry, Kyo!" Shigure spread his arms wide. "I forgot."

"Why do you have to be so damn annoying?"

"Well I certainly don't mean to be. But whatever did you do to make Shizuka-chan think you're nice?"

"We just talked," Shizuka said, going over and prying the carton from Kyo's hand. "We seem to have quite a bit in common."

"And we're not all perverts like you," Kyo said darkly to Shigure.

_Damn_, Shigure thought. _How am I supposed to find out what happened down there_? "Shizuka-chaaaan!" Shigure whined, giving her puppy dog-eyes. "What did you talk about? I want to know! Hmm? What?"

Shizuka went into the other room. "We really didn't talk most. We just sat there, waiting for someone to notice the locked door. Then Kyo-kun fell asleep."

"Did you talk about fish? Hmmmmm?"

"None of your damn business what we talked about!" Kyo snarled out and stormed up to his room.

_Kyo's not one to talk much_, Shigure thought and turned to ask Shizuka, but she was heading upstairs. Shigure pouted and went to his office and write everything down, knowing how angry Akito was going to get.

Kyo lay in bed, listening to the rain and thinking about the hours spent in the basement. He knew he hated talking about himself, but Shizuka was even worse. Every time she was on the verge of acting normal she'd suddenly change her personality. She'd go back to being sweet and kind. That personality didn't suit her; at least not now that Kyo saw her other side.

_I wonder what it's like to hug her_, he thought. _To hug a girl other than that stupid Kagura and not turn into a cat. She doesn't seem like the hugging person_.

She had even told him how uncomfortable all his cousins made her, hugging her all the time. Kyo tried to think of an excuse before realizing he didn't need to excuse his cousins at all.

'_Just stay away from them,_' he had snapped. _'You don't need to hang around them when they're here, you know…'_

Why did he have to be so harsh all the time? He regretted half the things that came out of his mouth. He regretted them when he said them to Tohru and he was regretting them with Shizuka.

_At least Tohru is genuinely nice, as annoying as it is…_ Kyo put his hands behind his bed, staring at the ceiling. _I wish Shizuka would be her real self. I might even not mind getting to know her real self. She doesn't seem like a half-bad person_…

Then the rain overtook him and he fell asleep.

Ayame had his arms around Shizuka when Kyo came home from school the following Monday. Kyo's face darkened with anger and he flew over, shoving Ayame forward.

"_Aaah_!" Ayame yelped as he went headfirst into Shigure, knocking them into Hatori and the three of them ended up on the ground in a tangled heap. Tangled mostly in Ayame's hair.

"_Get off of me_!" Hatori groaned, kicking.

"I can't!" Shigure protested. "Aaya!"

"_My hair_!" Ayame wailed. "_My beautiful hair_!"

Yuki smirked and gave the cat a look that said he, for once, approved of something he did. But the look was wiped away when he saw Kyo asking Shizuka if she was okay.

"Yes, fine…" She said, obviously a bit amused.

Ayame finally got up, his hair free from his cousins' limbs. Shigure and Hatori peeled themselves apart and glowered at Ayame. "Don't look at _me_ like that," he pouted. "Blame Kyo! He pushed me, the mean boy…"

"Well maybe if you weren't such a pervert and attacking Shizuka half the time!" Kyo snarled, eyes burning with anger.

Ayame waved his hand. "Aw, isn't that cute? The kitty's got a cru—"

"LET'S GET BACK TO WOOOORK!" Shigure sang out, drowning out Ayame's voice (which is really a hard thing to do). "Is Haru-kun coming?"

"No, he has things he wanted to do at the main house," Yuki said. "Hatori, I'm surprised you're here. I do have an appointment with you."

Hatori brushed his hair from his eyes. "Yes, that's why I came here. I knew you'd try to duck out of it."

The prince blushed a dark red. "Heh…"

"Let's go inside and get it over with."

The two of them disappeared inside and Tohru went over to where Shizuka and Kyo were standing. "Kyo," she said. "Why did you hurt Ayame-san like that?"

Kyo folded his arms and hunched his shoulders over. "He's a damn peacock—strutting around and pretending to be all innocent when really he's a pervert…"

Shizuka hid her smile behind a hand. "A peacock, Kyo?" She asked. "Really, wherever do you come up with these silly ideas?"

Kyo glared at her and Tohru thought he was going to hurt her. But instead he gave her a mysterious smile and then the two laughed.

Shigure fell over. "_Kyo-Kyo!_" He said. "Why, you're laughing! What a lovely sound, so beautiful! Like a newly hatched bird, peeping its first peep at the brand new world around—" A hammer hit his face and slid to the ground.

"_Don't_ call me _Kyo-Kyo_!" He roared and started to head up to the roof. "And stay away from Shizuka, Ayame—I'm warning you."

Ayame laughed heartily and as soon as Kyo disappeared over the top, he trundled up next to the girl in question. "I think Kyo-Kyo likes you," he whispered in her ear and then screamed as Kyo jumped down on top of him.

"_What did I just say_?" He screamed. "_Don't call me that, and leave her alone you damn snake_!"

Yuki came outside and raised his eyebrows at the sight. "Kyo, get off of my brother."

Ayame was suddenly beside Yuki, arms around his head. "My brother is worried about me! He cares about me! Look everyone, Yuki is caring—"

Ayame was on the ground with Yuki standing on top of him. "No, I just wanted to do it instead of him. Go back to your shop, you're spending far too much time here."

Ayame squirmed. "But Yuki darling!" He protested. "I _like_ spending time here! Spending time with you!"

Yuki stepped off of him and disappeared back inside. Hatori came out and stepped over Ayame, ignoring him completely. He went over to Shizuka and just stood in front of her, staring.

"How are you doing?" He asked. "I haven't been by the past couple of days, and you haven't called…"

"I've been just fine, Sohma-sensei!" Shizuka said, bowing. "Shigure-san is wonderful."

Hatori leaned in. "As wonderful as he is," he whispered, "you should leave. For your own sake." He turned and grabbed Ayame by the hair. "Come on, I'll take you back."

"Bye everyone!" Ayame giggled, waving his arms. "I'll see you tomorrrrrooowww! Farewell, Shii-sama!"

Shizuka looked down. _Does Sohma-sensei really want me gone_? She thought. _And does Shigure-san feel the same? Maybe even Kyo wants me gone. I know Yuki does. But Tohru? How does she feel about me staying here? Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe Shigure-san and Kyo don't want me… here…_

She looked over at Kyo, who was actually helping with the work. His eyes met hers and he flushed a rosy color before turning back to the frame.

'_Kyo-Kyo likes you_'. Ayame's words rang in her ears but she got rid of them. _Nobody likes me_, she thought. _Nobody knows about me… Sohma-Sensei is the only one who does and look how he feels about me. He is worried about me. He does seem really worried about me staying around… but it's because of how I am. Who I am. He knows _what_ I am and he wants me gone… If Shigure-san and Kyo knew, they'd really want me gone as well. But I can't leave. I have no place to go and I can't have my family finding me…_

Shizuka went to try to help work, but Shigure told her he had some more words he needed defined. She bowed and went inside, glad to be away from everyone.

**Author's Note:**

Yay thanks for the reviews everyone :-) it makes me happy and happiness is good cause good is… good. (took much 'Weekenders'…) anyway, now that I've finished this story I decided I hate it. This happens often. Usually as soon as I finish writing a story, I realize it's terrible and despise it. I have low self-esteem when it comes to my works. :-( but that doesn't mean I'll get rid of this story or stop cranking out chapters:-D Thanks again for the reviews…


	9. Shigure Gets Tied Up

**Chapter Nine**

"I'm sorry, Akito. But I couldn't hear them and I certainly couldn't see them. It was a brilliant idea on paper, but not very well carried out."

Akito was slumped against the windowsill, staring miserably out over the grounds. "It's your fault it wasn't carried out well. You should have done it better. It's your fault. Your fault." He coughed and covered his mouth with the sleeve of his kimono.

Shigure pressed his lips thin. "I'm sorry, Akito." _It's not my fault_, he thought angrily. _It's not my fault, it's your fault. Your idea, your fault_.

Akito pulled away from the window. "How are they getting along now?"

Shigure's shoulders rose and fell in a shrug. "A bit different. Kyo doesn't go out of his way to be around her, but he doesn't avoid her like he does Tohru-chan and Yuki." _And me_.

"Hatori told me that Kyo attacked Ayame…" Akito had a nasty smirk on his face. "Is _this_ true?"

_Hatori talks too much_, he thought. "Yes, but not much. He just pushed Ayame. He didn't punch or kick him."

"And why did he push him?"

Shigure looked away as Akito stood in front of him. "He was hugging Shizuka."

"Jealousy. That is a good sign…"

_Of what?_ Shigure thought angrily. _Why are you playing her? Why are you playing Kyo? Why must you drag innocent young girls into your sick, twisted plans? Tohru got off nicely. But Kyo's different from Yuki. So, so different… And what if she finds out about the curse? She's lived with us for two weeks and nothing has happened. But how long can that last_?

Shigure couldn't keep silent. "What if something happens?" He asked. "What if she finds out about the curse?"

Akito slowly knelt, his face inches from Shigure's. He lifted one white, thin hand and pressed it against Shigure's cheek. "If she completely freaks out, I'll have Hatori suppress her memory. But I don't think she will. Not with what she is."

"What is she?"

Akito pat Shigure's cheek gently. "That isn't any of your business, Dog. Now is it?"

"No, Akito."

"Perhaps Yuki and Tohru should go on a little trip…" Akito's eyes sparkled. "To the resort."

"Leaving the three of us alone," Shigure said quietly.

"Yes. Would that be so bad? Yuki and the girl can go with Momiji to the hot springs." Akito leaned forward, his lips next to Shigure's ear. Shivers ran down the dog's spine. "Perhaps without their presence…"

_What are you planning_? Shigure thought. _What is this all about_?

Akito pressed his lips just above Shigure's ear. "You're the only one who understands me," he whispered. "You're the only one who can know…"

"Hatori knows more than I do," Shigure said quietly.

Akito leaned against his cousin. "Hatori only knows what I allow him to know. You know so much more, Dog. So much more…"

Shigure said nothing. _Don't hurt her_, he thought in his head. _Don't hurt someone else, Akito. If you keep this up, things might not go so well for you…_

0-0-0-0-0-0

When Shigure returned to his home, he heard the sound of talking on the roof. _Tohru's up there with Kyo_, he thought. _I'm glad they're starting to reconcile_.

He climbed up the ladder and was surprised to see not Tohru, but Shizuka. Kyo had his hands up and was allowing the girl to pummel them with her fists.

"_No_!" Kyo said, sounding a bit exasperated. "That's not it at all! And you're holding your fist all wrong, damn it! You do that and you'll break your thumb!" He grabbed her hand and forced her to form a fist. "The thumb is on the _outside_! How many times do I have to _tell_ you? This is the millionth time!"

"I've counted three times so far," Shizuka replied quite calmly. "That's a far cry from a million."

Kyo's eyes sparked angrily. "_It's just a damn expression_! Now try again." He held his hands up and she punched one of them. "See? Better. A little better."

"Just as long as we don't have to start calling _you_ 'sensei'," Shigure said.

Kyo's hands dropped in surprise and Shizuka's fist met his cheek. He let out a groan as he fell back on the roof. Shizuka gave a surprised gasp and knelt beside him.

"Kyo-kun!" She squeaked out. "I'm so sorry!"

Kyo sat up, rubbing his cheek. "It's not like it hurt, stupid. It just surprised me, that's all. It's not like you're strong or anythin'."

"It's getting late," Shigure said. "Come down for dinner."

The two teens obediently climbed down the ladder after him and went into the dining room.

0-0-0-0-0-0

A week passed by, then another week. The two new rooms were done and Shizuka seemed ecstatic about having her own room. Shigure was ecstatic about having his own room back and a library again!

"Ah the glorious joy of an atmosphere of the written word!" Shigure said, gazing lovingly up at the only shelf that held books.

"You better be glad we do anything for you," Kyo grumbled, coming in and dropping the stack of books on Shigure's head.

"I _am_ glad, my dear Kyo!" Shigure said, flourishing one hand dramatically. "Honestly, whatever would I do without my darling (and oh so strong) cousins? I'd probably be collapsed on a wet ground, half-finished with the building and crying a silent tear as the rain begins pit-patting onto my face, washing away the salt and blood!"

Yuki came into the room and dropped the books on top of Shigure as well. "Sometimes I wonder if you're just as bad as my brother."

"Well, we did grow up together!" Shigure said. "Ah, the flowers have arrived!"

Tohru and Shizuka came into the room with books in their arms. "Why are you covered in books?" Tohru asked and gave a curious look to the two boys.

"He's such a pansy!" Kyo complained. "He sits around on his lazy ass and does nothing but watch us work!"

"Alas, my bones and muscles are spent from the hours of exertion I spent in constructing the very room you stand in!" Shigure said, falling back onto the floor with tears streaming down his face.

Sweat drops appeared on everyone else's head and Kyo grabbed a book. "God, you _are_ as annoying as Ayame."

Shigure sat up with his legs crossed and hands between his legs, looking very much like an injured puppy. "You know, you really shouldn't compliment me so! It might give me a swelled head!"

"You already _have_ a swollen head," Yuki said, putting books away on the shelves. "Any bigger and you'd be the one breaking your own house."

"I'd never do such a thing. Unlike everyone else, I have respect for the hours of toil people put in working!" Shigure stood up, brushing his kimono off. "Oh! Yuki-chan, Tohru-chan! I am reminded of something going on this weekend!" He clasped his hands together and gave a dramatic sigh. "Momiji is going to the hot springs!"

Yuki brushed hair from his eyes. "What does that have to do with us?"

"He was wondering if the lovebirds would go with him!"

Yuki and Tohru blushed slightly. "I'd love to go!" Tohru said brightly. "I think that'd be wonderful!"

"If you want to go, I'll go as well," Yuki said, giving her a smile. "It would be wonderful."

Kyo slammed a book onto the shelf. _Just Yuki and Tohru_, he thought, trying to conceal his anger. _Always just Yuki. The damn prince, the damn rat. Never the cat…_

"What about the rest of you?" Tohru asked and fell silent when she saw Yuki stiffen.

Shigure laughed. "I have so much work to do I couldn't possibly take a break. And Shizuka-chan will have plenty of work on her hands and I'm sure Kyo wouldn't want to be a third wheel."

_Momiji is going as well_, Kyo thought. _I'd be a fourth, not a third. They don't want me to go. Shigure doesn't want me to leave and Momiji doesn't want me to come. I'm sure the rat is happy about this. He looks pleased. I wish I could just wipe that smile off his damn face! It annoys me so much! Damn it, why does he have to be so popular! Why can't I be popular? Why don't people like me! It's always the damn rat! It's because of him I'm not in the family! DAMN IT_!

"DAMN IT!" Kyo screamed and did a roundhouse kick. Yuki grabbed Kyo's ankle and flipped him over, throwing him into the bookshelves and causing all the books to fall out on top of him.

"Do you have a problem?" Yuki asked with a smirk.

Kyo rubbed the back of his head, one eye closed and the other glaring. "Damn it…" He groaned. His gaze flickered from Yuki to Shizuka and he was surprised to see the anger on her face. Her arms were clamped down at her sides and her hands were fists. She looked like she wanted to hurt Yuki for what he just did.

"Why don't we take a short break from destroying my house (again) and start putting things away?" Shigure asked, picking up a couple of books and sliding them onto the shelf. "If you insist on fighting, take it outside."

0-0-0-0-0

Things did change that weekend, but not how Shigure figured Akito planned. Kyo watched Yuki and Tohru leave, and then climbed on top of the roof for several hours. No matter how much Shigure pleaded, the teen wouldn't come down and finally, when it started getting dark, he disappeared entirely.

_Not again_! Shigure thought, picking up the phone and dialing. _Why must he always do this sort of stunt_?

"Hello?"

"Ha'ri-san!" Shigure said brightly. "How's my favorite doctor?"

"What happened."

"Aw, must you always think something's happened when I call?"

Hatori was silent. Then, "Yes. Because it's the only time you call. What happened?"

Shigure twirled the phone cord around his index finger. "Kyo's disappeared again. I can't find him anywhere."

"How long as he been gone?"

"Several hours and he never showed up to dinner. I ordered a fish dinner and he never came! He's so selfish, not even caring that my hard-earned money has been com—"

"Oh stop changing the subject," Hatori snapped. "What could have made him leave? Did Kagura show up?"

"_No_! Not at all!" Shigure protested, the cord now around his arm. "Yuki and Tohru left to go to the hot springs with Momiji and I think Kyo was a bit upset he wasn't asked to come along."

"Oh. If that's the case, I'm sure he'll show up sooner or later."

_Hopefully sooner_, Shigure thought. "I just worry about him."

"Shizuka's still living with you, isn't she?"

"Ah now look who's changing the subject!" Shigure laughed, struggling to free himself. "She's still here. I'm not going to openly defy Akito." _I don't want to defy Akito at all_, he added in his mind. _If I wasn't so worried about Kyo or Shizuka, I wouldn't defy him at all_…

"I'm not exactly sure his plans…" Hatori said quietly. "But they can't be good, considering what Shizuka is."

"What is she? Hmmmm? Come on, Ha'ri-sama! What _is_ she? Tell your little puppy!"

click

"Hello? Ha'ri-san? Sensei?" Shigure shook the phone. "Haaaaatooorrriiii!" He sang out. "Are you just pretending you hung up or are did you really? Are you still there? I hear breathing. You're there, aren't you?"

……

"Your little game won't work again," Shigure said, the phone cord wrapped around his entire body now. "I remember last time you made me hang up and then insist it was all my fault and—eek! I'm tied up. Hatori? I need help. Please? I can't get—erf—out! I'm all tangled up! Hatori? Ha'ri? _Hello_?... help…"

**Author's Note:**

Whoot! Thanks for the reviews, it makes me so happy! Thanks Padfoot's Love, lightningstrxu and kerejeir! And as for the basement thing, nothing really happened—just a lot of talking. I did have a scene for that but it seemed just too much 'fluff' in my opinion cause basically it was more of what they were talking about earlier when Shizuka was looking for the books and stuff like that. I decided I have enough fluff for this story without dropping in more :-P so my apologies if I offended anyone in doing that! –bows- anyway, I also want to apologise for so much dialogue I know someone mentioned it–looks at someone in specific who doesn't ever review- yeah I'm talking to _you_, Strike:-P But anime just seems pretty dialogue-y to me, especially 'Fruits Basket' so I just find myself having more dialogue than 'actions' without realising it. And you'll be finding out about Shizuka soon… -checks- ahh okay, fairly soon. But because I'm getting so many nice reviews, I'll update with more than one chapter! Yeah that's right, I love you all! Except you –points at Strike- because you complained about my photographs :-p j/k I love you too ;-) enjoy!


	10. Aaaaa Shizuka's Ear?

**Chapter Ten**

_I should leave forever. Never come back. Why should I? I don't want to be in that stupid family. They don't care about me. They won't care about me even if I beat that damn rat. They'll just feel bad for Yuki and ignore me like always_…

Kyo was walking down a forest trail, hands shoved angrily in his pockets.

_Nobody ever cares about the stupid cat. Only Tohru ever did, and she loves Yuki. The person who did this to me. Well, Yuki didn't do it to me technically. I'm not _that_ stupid. But it's the rat's fault and Yuki is the rat. I hate him, I hate him, I hate him. He's taken everything from me. He took my rightful place as a member of the family… and he took Tohru…_

Kyo glared down at his feet, not able to keep his head up.

_He knew I cared about her… like I've never cared about anyone ever before… He knew it… and he didn't care…_

_No, he did care. He told me that one night he wouldn't make any motions to Tohru if it would totally destroy me. And me in my stupidity… it's my own damn fault… Why did I have to tell him Tohru wouldn't… she did. She did choose him. I didn't think she would. But she did. I should have said something, I should have done something. I should have told her that I… I felt…_

Kyo kicked a stick away, feeling sick to his stomach.

_It's my own fault. But it's his fault too. He took her. He took her… But I told him to go ahead… because I didn't think she'd really pick him… I thought she… she cared about me…_

_She does care about me. Tohru does really care about me. But not like how I cared about her. I can't give her what Yuki can. He's better suited for her. He doesn't overreact, beat people up for no reason and spout out complete nonsense. He doesn't insult her. He's perfect for her, and he makes her happy._

_Is that what I wanted? For her to be happy? I don't hate her for choosing Yuki. She deserves the prince. She's a princess and deserves the prince, not the…_

_What am I? I'm nothing. I'm not even part of the court. Yuki's the spoiled prince who everyone bows down to. Everyone loves Yuki. Even his stupid brother, even though he knows Yuki doesn't like him. Ayame's the stupid queen of the court and Shigure's the king. Hatori's the fucking wizard. Momiji's the jester. Everyone has a place in Akito's puppet court. He has his prince and his wizard and his knights…_

_And me?_

Kyo finally looked up, staring at the blue sky.

_I'm nothing. I'm… I'm the prisoner in the dungeons. Chained to the walls. Able to hear the royal banquet going on and unable to attend._

_I'll never attend…_

Kyo began running as fast as he could, trying to run away from his thoughts.

_Damn, damn, damn, damn…_

0-0-0-0-0-0

"Yuki and Tohru will return before Kyo does…"

"It's your fault."

"I didn't know he'd react like he did. He's unpredictable…"

Akito was curled up in Shigure's lap, breathing with a raspy sound. "He must become predictable," Akito wheezed out.

Shigure rested his hand on Akito's arm. _Is that it, Akito_? He wondered. _You're mad because you can't control him like you can control the rest of us? You want to put a collar on the cat. A little bell, so you know where he is at all times? But what does Shizuka have to do with this? Why do you have to be like this, Akito? I know you have more to you than evil. Deep down, you're just scared, lonely and sad._

"Dog, what are you thinking?"

Shigure gave a tiny smile. "I'm just enthralled at the idea of Kyo becoming predictable. That certainly would make my life easier."

Akito slid his hand to Shigure's stomach and gripped the fabric of his kimono. "Your life?" He hissed out. "_Your_ life? Make _your_ life easier!"

Shigure winced. "I didn't mean to offend you—"

"_YOU KNOW NOTHING_!" Akito screamed, slamming his hands against Shigure's chest. The man didn't move, but the head of the Sohma family did. He slid back, due to his frail body. "_YOU CARE ABOUT NOBODY BUT YOURSELF! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE A DOG! LOYAL! TO ME! LOYAL!_"

Shigure grabbed Akito's hands, eyes wide in desperation. "I am loyal to you, Akito!" He said, wishing he'd calm down. "Loyal to you and only to you! I always will be your dog, your loyal dog who sits up on your command!" Akito's eyes flashed with anger before he doubled over, consumed by a coughing fit. "Should I summon Ha—"

"_No_!" Akito groaned out, covering his mouth with his sleeve. "Just leave me alone. _Leave me alone like you want to_!"

Shigure slowly rose to his feet and bowed. "I do not want you to be alone, Akito-san," he whispered. "But I'll leave as you want me to."

0-0-0-0-0-0

Kyo was sitting on the front steps when Shigure came down the path. He was so surprised, he nearly dropped the bag of carry-out he had gotten for dinner.

"The kitty's returned home," he commented. "How pleasant for me." He dangled the bag in front of Kyo's face. "I brought fish!" He sang out.

"Fuck off, Shigure."

"Ooh, the kitty's mad!" Shigure opened his front door. "What's wrong? Hairball?"

Kyo hunched over, his body trembling. "Yes, a fucking hairball."

Shigure knit his brow together. This wasn't the usual Kyo-reaction. Kyo would have thrown something. He would have run off. He would have attacked a tree.

"Kyo…? What's wrong?"

The redhead stood up, head still hung. "It doesn't matter, does it?" He shuffled past Shigure and the novelist heard his door shut.

_Oh dear_, he thought, going inside and setting the bag on the table. _He's acting so different… Is he beginning to…?_

_No, he can't. He needs to stay how he was. Defy Akito, Kyo! You're not free but you're freer than the rest of us. Don't be tied down. Don't let Akito put a collar on you as he did to me…_

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

The three of them knelt around the table, eating in silence. Kyo was obviously much more subdued than usual and Shizuka wasn't bothering with any conversation.

"I know!" Shigure said brightly. "Why don't the two of you take a nice walk?"

Their heads snapped up. "What?" Kyo asked, eyes suspicious.

"It's such a nice evening and I don't think Shizuka-chan has seen all of our lovely grounds!" Shigure waved his chopsticks in Kyo's face. "Show her around!"

Kyo moved a piece of fish around on his plate. "I don't feel like it," he said sullenly.

_This isn't good_, Shigure thought. _He's acting strange, not his usual self. No, Kyo. I must make him mad. I must_.

"Why?" Shigure asked, poking Kyo's arm with one chopstick. "Don't want alone time with Shizuka-chaan?"

Kyo's face went red and a sweat drop appeared. "Shigure…"

"Mm, I've been _wondering_ why you went so spastic when Aaya-san was hugging her!" Shigure inched in close, his face a portrait of amusement. "What would you do if _I_ was hugging her?"

"Shi… gure…!" Kyo warned, clutching his chopsticks.

Shigure slid in next to the blushing Shizuka and put his arms around her. Her body was so soft, so tender, so strange… He really didn't want to let go of her.

"Shizuka-chan!" He breathed out, his cheek against hers. "You really are the best assistant I've ever had."

"Arrhhhaaa!" She managed to get out. "Th-thank you, Shigure-san…"

"Shizuka, damn it don't take his crap!" Kyo snarled out, eyes burning.

Shigure rubbed his cheek against hers. "I want to hold you for the rest of my life, Shizuka-chan! You're so soft and warm, it makes me feel so happy!"

"_Shigure stop being a pervert_!"

"I'm so glad you came to live with me!" Shigure purred out, his lips next to her ear. "It makes me haaaaaaaaa…"

A large sweat drop appeared on his face as he realized his lips were not next to her ear.

Because she didn't _have_ an ear.

"…aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa…" Shigure moaned out, eyes blank.

Shizuka gave a tiny gasp and clamped her hand over where her ear was supposed to be. Shigure had never noticed before since her scarf normally covered it, but he had been so close he could feel there was no ear there. No ear… no ear… no ear…

"…aaaaaaaaaaaa…"

"What are you going on about?" Kyo demanded. He had broken his chopsticks from holding them so tightly. "You're such an idiot!"

"_A tour of the grounds would be wonderful, Kyo-kun_!" Shizuka leapt to her feet, arms flapping. "Please do me the honor of showing me!"

"…aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa…" Shigure's head was tilting from side to side. "…aaaaaa…"

Shizuka grabbed Kyo's hand and dragged him out of the house, shrieking about the grounds.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"You didn't see under the scarf?"

"Ha'ri-san, _she has no ear_!"

"She certainly does have ears," Hatori said quietly, taking a long drag form his cigarette. "But they're not human."

Shigure gave a whimper of fear. "That's not normal!"

"Of course it isn't, you imbecile!" Hatori grumbled. "_She_ isn't normal and she should leave as soon as possible. She shouldn't be mixed up with this family. Least of all Kyo."

"He's taking her on a tour of the grounds right now."

"Shigure…" Hatori whispered. "Follow them and make sure they don't get close."

'_I want to see how this girl and the Cat get along…'_

"Can you hear me? Shigure?"

'_Try to get them to interact… It's very important'_

"Gure-san, are you there? I can hear your whimpering breathing perfectly well. Stop this silence and talk to me."

'…_make sure they have some time together… see what the Cat does'_

"I'm on my last nerve."

'_Jealousy. That is a good sign…'_

"_SHIGURE_!"

"I'm here," Shigure said gently. "I'll follow them." He put the receiver down and went to the door, sliding it open and staring outside as a gentle wind ruffled his hair.

_I'm sorry Hatori_, he thought, slipping his feet into some shoes and walking down to the path. _But I'm Akito's puppy… His loyal puppy…_

**Author's Note:**

Dun-dun-dunnn! –YOU DON'T HAVE TO SAY DUNDUNDUN- ahh sorry –rolls eyes- okay too much 'eight-bit theater' I swear… -coughcough- anyway this is the other chapter I'm updating for today :-D I hope you like it. We're getting closer to –what- Shizuka is… hehehe… but first, after living with them so long she really must find out about their dreadful curse! So that's going to be coming up before her secret. Patience is a virtue. Silence is golden. Umm… early to bed and early to rise. Don't put your elbows on the table. Ahh okay, I shouldn't have had that giant lollipop I'm in a weird mood now –bows- I hope you enjoy this!


	11. Curse Revealed

**Chapter Eleven**

Kyo and Shizuka walked silently along the forest path. Shizuka's hands were clasped in front of her and Kyo's hands were rammed in his pockets. Neither of them made any noise whatsoever.

"Look," Kyo finally said. "Shigure's a bit weird. He's… not normal… He shouldn't… have acted that way…"

Shizuka shrugged. "I've known he's weird since I first met him. Sensei told me he was difficult to live with before I even met him."

Kyo turned his head, watching his housemate out of the side of his eyes. "How do you… feel… about Hatori?"

"He's wonderful," she said. "He's obviously good at what he does and he cares so much about his family…"

"He's ice."

Shizuka looked over at him. "What?"

"Hatori… he's ice… he's snow… he does things…" Kyo shook his head slowly. "He's not as good as you think he is. Our family is… Hatori isn't good… He does things…"

"I'm not going to pry into your family's secrets Kyo," Shizuka said, glancing over her shoulder. Some wind blew a leaf across the path they had just walked across. "I may be as curious as you, but I don't push it. I figure if I sit back and watch my surroundings… I see what I want… I find out more by tiptoeing on the edge."

"You talk just like Shigure," Kyo complained. "Why do you have to be so damn enigmatic? Aaah!" He let out a gasp as her arm was slipped through his.

"_We're being followed_," she whispered in his ear. He felt his heart pounding in his chest as being so close to her. "_Shigure is following us. Don't look back. Pretend I haven't said anything_…"

"You always have to act like life is the theater," Kyo managed to get out of his suddenly sticky throat. "You and Shigure are both like that. And Ayame. Life is one big stage show and you talk… like idiots."

Shizuka began walking a bit faster. "Is that so bad? To talk like an idiot?"

"_I didn't mean idiot_!" He snapped, cheeks changing to a lovely rose color. "I meant—God! You… you're like my stupid cousins! You talk… _weird_!"

"I'm terribly sorry, Kyo-kun."

"Everyone acts so weird! Everyone in my life is over-the-top!" Kyo said, actually forgetting that she had told him Shigure was following them.

"How so?"

"Everything is a drama! It's ridiculous…"

Shizuka began walking even faster, now pulling Kyo along. He remembered Shigure was there and quickened his pace. "You're pretty dramatic yourself, Kyo."

"I am not."

"Yes you are!" Shizuka said with a grin. "You're always getting into fights and yelling, for attention. You love attention even though you act as if you don't. You want people to notice you."

Kyo pulled his arm free. "Is that so bad?" He growled. "Nobody in my family cares about me."

"I'm sure someone does."

"Nobody does. I'm a fricken' outcast in my own family. Everywhere I go. I'm an outcast. Nobody even tries to get to know me. Except…"

"Except?"

_Except her_, he thought. "It doesn't matter." He grabbed her arm and went even faster. "Nothing matters."

0-0-0-0-0

Shigure was losing them. They were walking so quickly it was beginning to get hard to keep up without them knowing he was there.

After several minutes of almost running, Shigure fell to his knees and took in a few deep breaths. He had no idea where Kyo was taking her and didn't think Kyo knew either.

"Are you all right?" asked a soft voice.

Shigure glanced over and saw the bottom of black pants. "Ah Shizuka-chaaan!" He said, staggering to his feet and collapsing against her. "I—"

poof

0-0-0-0-0

Kyo and Shizuka turned as they heard a loud scream. Shizuka started hurrying towards it and Kyo had no choice but to follow.

They found a strange woman flapping her arms everywhere as a black dog sat in front of her, looking nervous.

"AAAAAAH!" Kyo yelled, arm flying up. "WHAT THE HELL!"

"THE MAN DISAPPEARED AND THERE'S A DOG!" The woman screamed. "A DOG! A DOG! A DOG!"

"Whadoidowhadoidowhadoido!" Kyo yelped, pulling his hair and running in a circle. "_Whadoido_!" He yelled and then stopped and pointed at the dog. "YOUR FAULT!" He screamed and snap-kicked the dog. It howled as it went flying back into a tree.

"_Kyo-kun_!" Shizuka said, grabbing his arm. "Don't take it out on an innocent dog!"

"_It's not an innocent dog_!" The woman shrieked, her body wavering. "_It was a man! He turned into a dog_!"

Kyo grabbed the woman's arm. "I can explain everything!" He said. "Calm down and come with me!"

"K…yo?" Shizuka watched him hurry off, dragging the woman with him. She fell to her knees and looked over at the dog. It was on its back, kicking and whimpering. "Here puppy…"

The dog flipped over and bounced over, licking her face and wagging its tail.

"Kyo-kun is such an odd person!" She said, stroking the dog's back. "Just when I think I have him figured out… he's the most difficult person I've ever met. Aw you're so cute!" She giggled, tickling the dog under the chin.

poof

She didn't scream, she didn't scramble away and she didn't cover her eyes. She leaned back on the ground, staring up in disbelief and confusion at the naked Shigure and the mist surrounding the both of them.

"Heh," he said, rubbing the back of his head. "This is awkward…"

0-0-0-0-0-0

Hatori was at the house when they returned. He was sucking on a cigarette as if it was the last thing he'd ever do.

"You're never careful," he said when Shigure came up the steps. "You know how I feel about doing that."

"I didn't know it was a strange woman," Shigure admitted. "I thought it was Shizuka-chan. They had the same pants."

Shizuka padded in after Shigure, her eyes on the floor. Hatori gazed at her and knew she had seen his cousin return to human form.

"Who was she?"

"Some artist, sketching the landscape…" Hatori flicked the ashes away and ran his fingers through his hair. "Kyo called me."

Shigure looked over at Kyo. He was at the end of the hall, his arms folded and his eyes focusing on something that wasn't there.

"Shizuka-san?"

Shizuka looked up at Hatori. Her face was a bit white. "Sensei," she said and bowed.

"What did you see?"

Purple surrounded her and a large sweat drop appeared. "Aaaaahhh…" She breathed out.

Hatori gave Shigure a look then went close to Shizuka. "You saw him turn from dog to human, didn't you?"

"Y-yes… I didn't _mean_ to see anything else but—but—"

"Did Shigure tell you why?"

Shizuka shook her head and Hatori sighed again, lighting another cigarette. "Gure-san, you love making my life difficult don't you?" He faced Shizuka again. "Our family is under a curse."

"A curse?"

"Yes. Thirteen members of the Sohma family are possessed by the spirits of the Chinese Zodiac. Whenever someone of the opposite sex hugs us (or we get really weak) we change into that form. Shigure—obviously—is the Dog."

Shizuka frowned slightly. "Is that what happened?" She asked. "When Hatsuharu-san ran into me? Is that why he started hugging me over and over again?"

"Yes, he was confused. He took you to me and you told me…" Hatori paused and brushed the bangs from his eyes. "I won't release that information to Shigure and Kyo—or anyone else. The only people who know are me, and the head of the Sohma house. His name is Akito, and he's the one who wanted you to live here."

Shizuka looked down. "Th… thank you…" She whispered, eyes squeezed tight. "Thank you, sensei, for not telling anyone."

"It's why so many of my cousins like to hug you," Shigure said. "It's something they never get to do."

"So…" Shizuka tilt her head to one side. "Hatsuharu-kun… Momiji-kun… Ayame-san… they're part of the curse as well? Wait. You said thirteen…? There's only twelve."

Hatori shook his head. "There are thirteen. The thirteenth isn't a full member of the Zodiac family, but he's cursed nonetheless."

The front door slammed and they looked over to see Kyo was gone.

"Remember?" Shigure asked. "The book about the Chinese Zodiac? The thirteenth?"

"The cat…" She said slowly. "Oh. I see now."

"If you wish to leave, you may."

"Sensei, why would I leave?"

Hatori's mouth went down in a frown. "Not many people outside of the cursed families know about the curse. Tohru-san is one of the very few who does. It's not something people readily accept and it's not something we like others to know about."

"Sensei," Shizuka said huskily. "Surely you wouldn't think someone such as me would think something like that is… weird."

"I was afraid of that." Hatori brushed past them to go to the door. "Shigure, you should go and inform Akito that she now knows."

Shigure nodded and left. Hatori waited till he was gone before walking back over to Shizuka.

"I want you to leave," he said, holding her arms. "This isn't something you want to be mixed up with."

"I'd rather be mixed up with something like this than with my own family," she said coldly.

"You could get hurt."

"I'm not easily injured. Emotionally, mentally… And I know that's what you mean." Shizuka smirked.

"It's your choice, not mine." He went back to the door and rolled it open. "People do get hurt in this family. Not many of us has escaped the wrath of Akito…" His hand started going towards his face but then he let his arm drop back down to his side. "Be careful."

"Goodbye sensei," she said, bowing.

The door closed, and she was left alone with her thoughts.

**Author's Note:**

Sorry it took me so long to update, the site wouldn't let me log in for a while! And then I got caught up in another fanfic I was writing –sweat drop- and when I finally tried to upload the document, it said there was an error. So… enough excuses. Anyway, so now Shizuka knows about the curse but she's not shocked of course. Hehehe. –thinks if there is anything else to say- mmm not really. There's gonna be some fluff coming up and then the big moment when Shizuka's---gasp- mm, not saying anything:-P please review! I like reviews. Oh and thanks to those who have reviewed!


	12. Kyo Gets Played

**Chapter Twelve**

Kyo sat on the roof, hugging his knees to his chest. _She's going to hate me_, he thought. _She's going to hate me. Everyone hates the stupid cat. Damn it, why couldn't Shigure be more careful? Why did Hatori have to tell her about the cat? Why can't I have a single friend?_

"Kyo?"

"Leave me the hell alone."

"No." Kyo stared as Shizuka climbed up onto the roof. "You're not getting rid of me that easily."

"Damn it!" He stood up, muscles tensing. "I said leave me alone!"

Shizuka folded her arms and raised one eyebrow. "And I said no. Are you okay? You just disappeared."

"I didn't want to sit around and listen to my idiotic cousin babble on about the curse."

"Are you one of them?"

Kyo sank down, pressing his feet together and resting his hands on his knees. "It doesn't matter."

"Yes it does, I'm curious." She sat cross-legged next to him and smiled, her eyes going into upside-down U's. "Like a cat!"

"Damn it!" He drew his knees to his chest again, resting his chin on his arms. "Damn it, stop that."

"Stop what?" She asked, kneeling and inching closer to him. "I may not really be an apologetic girl twenty-four/seven but I really don't want to offend y… you…"

"Why not? Everyone else does."

"Because you're interesting." She sat back and tapped her finger against her chin. "Let me see. Momiji-kun is the rabbit, isn't he? That's why you were surprised I said squirrel and not rabbit. Shigure-san is the dog. Yuki-kun is the rat. Hatsuharu-kun…" She frowned. "Rooster? He's pretty cocky. No. Not rooster. Hmm. Sensei is the snake, isn't he? And Ayame-san is… ahh… _he's_ the rooster. Strutting around, eh? Hmm? Am I right?"

Kyo couldn't help but smile. "No. You haven't met the rooster."

"Hmm…" She really looked as if she were enjoying trying to figure everything out. "Ayame-san… the monkey? Aaaahh, what did I say!" She demanded as Kyo rolled back and forth, shrieking with laughter.

"The idea—of—Ayame—being—the—monkey—ah-hahahahahahahaha!—Ayame and—the monkey—completely—and utterly—opposite!" Kyo sat up, grinning broadly. "Ayame and Ritsu (he's the monkey) are completely opposite. Ritsu's got low self-esteem, blames himself for everything that goes wrong and thinks the world would be better off without him."

"Ayame-san certainly thinks the world's better _with_ him in it!" Shizuka smiled back. "All right. So I haven't met the rooster and the monkey. Is Yuki-kun the rat?"

"Yes."

"I thought as much. I hate rats and I hate Yuki. And sensei is the snake."

Kyo shook his head. "No. Hatori's _not_ the snake. But you _have_ met the snake."

"Hmm…" She thought hard and remembered the Zodiac book. The Snake and the mirror. If Shigure was drawing additions to the pictures to make them resemble his family, then the mirror gave it away. "Ayame-san. He's the snake."

"Yep."

"Interesting…" Shizuka's eyes glittered. "Is that why Yuki-kun hates his brother? A snake and a rat wouldn't get along very well."

Kyo frowned, never seeing it that way before. "How the hell am I supposed to know?"

"Sensei… what _could_ he be?" She chewed at her bottom lip. "Sheep? No. He's definitely not the boar. Ahh, what _could_ sensei be?"

Kyo smiled at her. "I'll give you a hint. You've also met the cow and the dragon."

"Cow and dragon? Sensei is _not_ the cow—ah! Hatsuharu-kun!" Shizuka said brightly. "_He's_ the cow!"

"Yep!"

"Sensei is the dragon?"

"Yep."

She clapped her hands together happily. "Wonderful! That just leaves you, Kyo. What are you?"

His smile faded and he turned away from her. "It doesn't matter…"

"Aw, don't be like that!" She said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "You shouldn't be embarrassed."

"I'm not. It's just…"

"Cat."

"Huh?"

"You told me nobody in your family cares about you." Her hand squeezed. "An outcast. Like the cat in the legend."

His body gave a tremble. "Damn it…"

Shizuka slid over so she was in front of him. She put her hand under his chin and forced him to look up. "Kyo," she said, their eyes locked together. "There's nothing wrong with being the cat."

"Yes there is!" He said angrily. "Everyone hates me!"

"I don't. I know that's not much, but just because you're the cat doesn't make it right for people to hate you." She put her hands on his cheeks. "That's why you hate Yuki-kun, isn't it? The rat tricked the cat (if I'm remembering the book right) so you hate Yuki. You fight him…"

"He's annoying as hell anyway, rat or not."

She gave a broad smile. "Besides, I like cats."

He stared into her eyes and felt his heart fluttering like it hadn't fluttered in the longest of time. Not since the first New Years with Tohru and he had realized how much he wanted to be with her that night. The same feeling was growing inside of him, consuming his heart.

"You… do?" _She likes cats_, he thought. _Tohru likes cats as well… the year of the Cat fan club…_

"Mm-hmm. I think cats are the perfect creatures. So mysterious… agile… intelligent… tough… they can be the cutest creature in the world and then turn into the nastiest in a second." She smiled and pulled her hands away. "Just like you!"

He found himself blushing fiercely. "Ahh, I'm not cute."

"Yes you are."

His face was going dangerously purple-red. "_I'm not_!" He snapped, folding his legs. "And you're an idiot if you think I am."

"Fine then, I'm an idiot." She shrugged. "You've called me that before so why should I take offense now?"

"Damn it, damn it, damn it…"

"Kyo… is that why you're so hostile to everyone? Because you're the cat?"

"Nobody appreciates me…"

Shizuka propped her elbows on her knees and her chin on her hands. "If people don't appreciate you, then _they're_ idiots. You can't go through life blaming yourself for something you can't help. Trust me, I know. I… I thought I was…" She trailed off and she got a sad look in her eyes. "I hated myself so much."

Kyo was surprised and didn't bother trying to hide it.

"I know. I'm over it now. But I… I thought I was so different from everyone else. I am, and I know I am. But when I was young… I was as hostile as you. I lashed out at everyone around me, blaming them for how I was. I hated myself and I hated everyone else. I hated my parents. But finally I realized… I can't help who I am. And if people think I'm strange because of it… well, that's their own damn problem."

"Heh."

"I gave up on trying to make people like me." She then grinned wickedly. "Until I moved here."

"How come you're so nice then?"

"I told you, I want to stay here. I don't want to go back to my family. I'm somewhat happy here…" She stared off at the horizon. "Nobody knows who I am, what I am. Sensei does, but he promised not to tell anyone… I guess the head of your house knows. Akito or whatever his name is. But as long as they don't spill the beans, I'm fine with it." She suddenly perked up. "No wonder sensei didn't find me too terribly weird, if he grew up turning into a dragon every time a girl hugged him!"

Kyo snorted. "Dragon…" He mumbled.

"Kyo…"

"Yeah?"

"I have a question."

"Yeah?"

"How come you haven't tried hugging me yet?"

Kyo crashed down, eyes blank and jaw open. "Hnnnnhhh?"

Shizuka smiled, her eyes sparkling. "I was just curious. Everyone else has. Except Yuki-kun, but I don't care about that."

"I just—hugging—I ah—well—um—I'm not—"

"Not the hugging type?"

Kyo sat up, his hair everywhere. "Ah, no."

"Oh."

"You, erm, sound a bit disappointed."

Shizuka shrugged. "I was just wondering why you never tried. Just to see if it would work. You've never been hugged by a girl, have you?"

"I have, but it lasts a second before I turn into a cat. Or—there are female members of the curse and when they hug us, nothing happens…"

"Well… maybe since you're not one of the twelve main… perhaps you would change…"

Kyo glowered. "I wouldn't! I'm just like them!"

"You said you were an outcast."

"_Just because I'm an outcast doesn't mean my curse is any different_!" He snarled and slammed himself against her, his arms tightly around her torso. "_See_!" He half-shrieked. "_I'm not diff…_"

Shizuka's body was shaking as she giggled and Kyo went red, realizing she had played him.

"_DAMN IT_!" He pulled away, pissed off now. "_That's not funny_!"

"Hehehehehee yes it was!" She laughed. "You're fascinating, Kyo. You know that?"

His eyes burned angrily as he glared but after seeing her giggling, the anger dissipated. "I'm not here for anyone's amusement…"

"No." She stood up and stretched her arms. "But you better get inside, it's going to rain soon."

"How do you know?"

She started climbing down the ladder and her eye twinkled. "Intuition."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"So she didn't flip out after all. I didn't think she would. Now she's at the house alone with the Cat…" Akito smiled his evil little smile, his head limp on his arms. "How very nice."

"She reacted even better than Tohru did."

"Yes, so you said…" His eyes looked over to Shigure. "Now things are going to get interesting. Come here."

Shigure obediently went over and let Akito curl up in his lap. "I was beginning to worry that Kyo was sick. He was acting very subdued."

"Yes, and that's perfectly fine. A subdued cat is something easily taken care of…"

Something in Akito's voice caused Shigure's hair to bristle. A shiver went down his spine and his arms closed around the frail body.

"Yes…" Akito murmured, head nestled in Shigure's arms. "So very easily taken care of."

**Author's Note:**

BAH SO VERY SORRY –bows deeply, hitting her forehead against the floor- I am so sorry for not updating in, like, forever. Our evil computer has a virus so I've been avoiding it of late… I dunno if the virus is gone or not but I've ventured forth to the comp to check up on something so I decided to update. I'll tyr to update again soon…


End file.
